Forever After
by StarKnight2.0
Summary: AU to Brave. Merida is lost in the woods until she runs into a certain magical dealer. Wanting to be free from marrying against her will, she signs a magical contract. But her life gets turned upside down and she is thrown into a world of vikings, ogres, talking animals and magic. Multi-Crossover between Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Brave and many others. Complete.
1. Ch 1: Magic Contracts

**(a/n: i hope you enjoy reading this. this is a one shot. but i might make more, i may even make it a multicrossover later on. But i need reviews to do that. Well anyway, for now this will be only a one shot. want more? than review!)**

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Forever After

Merida trudged down the well-traveled dirt path that cut through the thick forest.

Sunlight spilled through the thick canopy of tangled branches, faintly illuminating the forest path ahead of her.

The path twisted and turned then it eventually led up a very tall and very steep hill. The young princess sighed in relief. Maybe if she climbed the hill, it could give her a better view of the forest, which could give her a clue as to where she was at the moment.

Merida climbed the steep hill carefully trying not to slip on the wet, dew-covered grass.

Once she reached the top, Merida turned and surveyed her surroundings. All she could see around her was endless green with snowcapped mountains that dotted the horizon. Merida sighed and plopped down on a nearby log to rest for a few moments.

The chilly evening air made her shiver a little.

Much earlier that morning, the firstborn sons of the Lords Dingwall, MacGuffin, and Macintosh competed for Merida's hand in marriage.

Of course the idea of an arranged marriage didn't sit well with her. It was unfair; she didn't even like any of them. Even though she promised her mother that she would obey, she wasn't going to sit around and let her future be decided for her. So, in the middle of the archery contest she announced she was eligible to compete for her own hand as the first-born of Clan DunBroch and she successfully defeated each of her suitors in the contest.

But everything didn't go as she had hoped. Her mother, Queen Elinor, berated her in private.

She told Merida that she had embarrassed the Lords and she should apologize to each of them. But Merida refused and she had said some harsh things to her mother.

Tensions rose between the two and harsh words were exchanged. Thinking back on it now, Merida felt a pang of remorse for some of the remarks she made.

In a fit of rage, Merida slashed the family tapestry. Merida could still remember her mother's face. Her mother had a look of anger and shock.

So, in retaliation, Queen Elinor threw her daughter's bow into the fire that crackled away in the fireplace.

Merida yelled at her mother one last time and as her bow burned on the fire, she ran away while trying not to show any tears. Merida rode away from home and into the forest as fast as she could on Angus, her horse.

The horse carried her deeper and deeper into the woods, a little further than she would've liked, but she didn't care.

After what seemed like forever, Angus came to a skidding halt. Angus whinnied and he thrashed about. Before Merida could react, Angus threw her off his back and she hit her head when she hit the ground.

When Merida regained consciousness, she found herself sitting alone in the cool, silent woods.

She was disoriented and lost. Merida called for Angus but was met with silence.

Eventually Merida decided to walk home. She began to follow the path back to where she thought was home but she came to a high stone cliff. Merida tried to climb it but the wall was too smooth and didn't have any footholds or anything.

Merida returned to the path and she decided to go the opposite direction. Which brings her to the hill. Merida glanced up at the sky and saw that it was no long a deep shade of blue. It was slowly turning pink and the sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon.

It was getting dark soon and once its dark; it'll be a lot colder and a lot harder to find the way home.

Merida sighed and buried her face in her hands mumbling "It's hopeless".

Just as all seemed lost, she spotted something in the corner of her eye. Merida got up and she turned around and saw floating several feet away from her was a wisp.

She slowly approached it and she saw a small trail of wisps leading down the other side of the hill and into the woods.

Merida took off running, following the trail of wisps. Maybe the wisps could help her find the way home.

She sprinted through some thick bushes and darted through some trees till she came to a stop in front of a log that was easily bigger than her.

The trail ended there.

Merida frowned in confusion and tried to figure out why the wisps had led her there. When suddenly, she heard a voice call from beneath the log

"Help, help!" cried the voice.

Merida went to the log and called out "Hold on!"

"Hurry!" cried the voice "-Can't breathe!".

Merida, using all her strength, pushed the log forward a few feet away from her.

As the log slowly rolled away, a pair of feet came into view, followed by a torso and then finally a head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that it was a man, dressed in strange clothes. The man scrambled out from under the log.

Merida stopped pushing the log and she said in between breathes "You…alright?"

"Yes, thanks to you" said the man.

Merida took a better look at the man she saved. He was very short, probably as short as a young child. He wore a red shirt, a brown vest, dark green puffy pants, and strange curly toed shoes on his feet. The man had a wide face, green eyes, short red hair and pointed ears.

Merida blinked in shock and stared at the man's pointy ears.

The man brushed himself off and he smiled at Merida "Thank you for helping me"

"W-who are you?" asked Merida, she paused for a moment then asked "W-what are you?"

The man bowed a little "Rumpelstiltskin, at your service". Rumpelstiltskin rose from his bow "And I am a dwarf, since you asked so nicely".

Merida's eyes were wide. A dwarf? She didn't think dwarfs actually existed. She heard about dwarfs in stories that her mother told her but she didn't really believe her.

Rumpelstiltskin's smile widened a little "And who might you be?"

"Oh, I'm Merida" said Merida.

Rumpelstiltskin nodded in approval "Merida? Nice name"

"Thank you" said Merida, smiling a little. Rumpelstiltskin frowned a little "So, Merida, what brings you this far out into the woods?"

"I'm lost" said Merida. She went on to explain how Angus threw her off his back and she ended up wandering around for most of the day.

Rumpelstiltskin frowned and nodded "Hmm, that's rough" "Now I cannot find my way home" mumbled Merida.

Rumpelstiltskin stroked his chin for a moment then his eyes widened and he exclaimed, "I got an idea! How about I help you?"

Merida raised an eyebrow "How?"

"My carriage is just a few yards that way" said Rumpelstiltskin, pointing off at another direction "I could give you a ride home".

Merida frowned and said politely "I really shouldn't, I don't want to impose"

"It's no problem, I insist" said Rumpelstiltskin, holding up his hands "After all, you helped me, allow me to return the favor".

Merida considered Rumpelstiltskin offer for a moment. She was lost and had no idea where home is. She also didn't know Rumpelstiltskin that well. For all she knew, Rumpel might be trying to trick her. But the wisps led her to him.

Eventually Merida sighed and said "Alright"

Rumpelstiltskin smiled and he said, "Alright, lets go!" he turned and he led Merida through the woods towards his carriage.

* * *

After walking for several minutes through dense forest, Merida and Rumpelstiltskin emerged from the woods and stepped out onto a dirt road.

Merida froze in place at what she saw.

The carriage looked like an ornate goose egg with wheels. It had an elaborate door and a golden R on top of the carriage.

What caught Merida's eye, however, was that the carriage was harnessed to a large goose instead of a team of horses.

Rumpelstiltskin and Merida approached the carriage. Rumpel opened the door and he climbed in sighing "Home sweet home".

Merida looked around at the interior and saw that it was quite roomy. It had a table, some shelves, cupboards a tiny fireplace and some chairs.

Merida climbed into the carriage and sat down at the table. She glanced around and saw some pictures of geese hanging on the walls.

Rumpelstiltskin popped his head outside of the door and barked at the goose "Fifi, go!" the goose honked, the carriage lurched forward and it took off.

Rumpelstiltskin closed the door and he turned to Merida "So, where do you live?" "DunBroch" answered Merida.

Rupelstiltskin smiled "Oh, really? That's a nice place, I was there once before, years ago. I planned to visit again but I haven't gotten around to it".

Rumpelstiltskin went to one of the cupboards and rummaged around it. As he rummaged around the cupboards, Merida spoke "So…this is your home?"

"Yes, has been for years" said Rumpelstiltskin, his head partially inside the cupboard "Been living on the road for a while, going town to town doing business"

Merida's eyebrow rose "What business?"

Rumpelstiltskin didn't answer. Instead he exclaimed "Ah! Here you are!" he pulled out a black pot and he placed it on the table.

Merida asked, "What's that for?"

"For cooking dinner" said Rumpelstiltskin, as if he were talking to a child. Rumpelstiltskin sighed "It's been a very long time since I had a guest, so I want to make some dinner for my first guest in years"

Merida smiled a little "Thank you" Rumpelstiltskin shrugged "It's nothing really".

Rumpelstiltskin hung the pot in the small fireplace and he lit a fire beneath the pot. He quickly poured some water into the pot and he started chopping up some vegetables and meat.

He tossed the chopped ingredients into the pot and he went to the cupboard and he pulled out some herbs and spices.

As he began to season the ingredients in the pot, he glanced over his shoulder to Merida "So, Merida…tell me a bit about yourself, what made you go this far into the woods, alone and before night?"

Merida tore her gaze away from the window where she watched the sky slowly turn dark.

She looked to Rumpelstiltskin then slowly recounted the events that had transpired before she ran away from home. Rumpelstiltskin finished seasoning during the story, so he sat down at the table and listened.

When she finished, Merida sighed, "I just don't know what to do".

Rumpelstiltskin had a frown on his face, he drummed his fingers on the table "That's rough kid, but still your lucky"

"Lucky?" said Merida in disbelief "I'm about to be married to someone I don't even know and i don't want to be married, not yet at least"

"Yeah but you're a princess" said Rumpelstiltskin "You have a family, a castle. Your royalty so no responsibilities, just smooth sailing"

Merida snorted "No responsibilities, I have a lot of responsibilities. For starters, I have to marry one of those boys"

Rumpelstiltskin nodded "Oh right".

Merida put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands "I wish there was some way I could get out of this. I wish I wasn't a princess".

Rumpelstiltskin nodded but suddenly his eyes widened "Wait a minute, I think I can help you"

"You can?" asked Merida, giving Rumpelstiltskin a doubtful look.

Rumpelstiltskin nodded "Uh huh, what you need is a magical transaction!"

Merida blinked and she gave him a confused look "A what?"

"A magical transaction" said Rumpelstiltskin, he stood up and explained "Its simple, all you have to do is read the fine print of a magical contract and if the terms of the contract meet your requirements, you sign it and all your problems go away".

Merida heart began to beat faster and she felt a ray of hope. If Rumpelstitskin was right, then all she needed was one of those magical contracts. She could get out of marrying and she could probably fix everything that had happened between her and her mother.

Merida leaned forward and asked Rumpelstiltskin "Where do I find a magical contract?"

"Oh don't worry about that" said Rumpelstiltskin, he adjusted his sleeves and said "Magical Transactions are my specialty, I make these sort of deals all the time"

"can you make my problems disappear?" asked Merida.

Rumpelstiltskin nodded hesitantly "Well…yes but-"

"Please Rumpelstiltskin" begged Merida "Please help me!"

Rumpelstiltskin sighed, "Ok, ok, I'll help you"

Merida squealed "Thank you!"

Rumpelstiltskin hopped off his chair and he went over to one of his shelves. His hand hovered around the shelves and he muttered "King for a month…Knight for a week…Golden touch…Real boy…Ah!" he plucked a roll of parchment from a top shelf and he went back to the table.

Rumpelstiltskin unfurled the parchment and smoothed it out on the table's surface "the Wonderful Life bargain" said Rumpelstiltskin, he chuckled a little "Haven't used one of these in a long time".

Merida saw written on the parchment were the words 'Wonderful Life Bargain' in large, elegant letters. Beneath the title of the deal were paragraphs of words containing terms and conditions, clauses and sub-clauses.

Merida's eyes skimmed the contract. From what she saw on the contract, it said that if she signed the contract, she would be free of any and all obligations of previous engagements and will be given a clean slate.

As she read the contract, Rumpelstiltskin handed her a bowl of hot stew. Slowly minutes passed and Merida slowly downed her bowl of stew as she read. Finally, Merida finished reading the contract. It sounded fair and plausible.

Merida thanked Rumpelstiltskin for the delicious stew and asked, "What is the price for this deal?"

"Oh nothing big, just a day" answered Rumpelstiltskin.

Merida frowned "A day?"

"Magical Contracts are incredibly powerful, to make the magic work, you need to give a day in your life " explained Rumpelstiltskin.

Merida just waved a hand "Take any day you want, I don't care"

"Ok" said Rumpel, shrugging "Done"

Merida nodded "ok, now what do I do?"

Rumpelstiltskin went to one of his cupboards and withdrew a white feathered quill and a white inkbottle. He placed the two on the table beside the contract.

Rumpelstiltskin dipped the quill in the bottle of ink and a small puff of gold colored smoke emerged from the bottle.

He withdrew the quill and handed it to Merida "Just sign your name on the line" explained Rumpelstiltskin, he pointed to a long line at the very bottom of the contract.

Merida's moved the quill to the bottom of the contract and slowly began to write her name.

The interior of the carriage became noticeably quite. Merida could hear the quill scratching against the parchment. The wind outside began to howl and Rumpelstiltskin seemed very tense, muttering something under his breath.

When she finished signing, the wind stopped and Rumpelstiltskin relaxed and he smiled.

Merida sighed and handed Rumpelstiltskin the quill and inkbottle.

Merida yawned and asked "Ok, now what?"

"Have a nice day" said Rumpelstiltskin, he grinned broadly and he giggled.

Merida frowned in confusion when suddenly the entire carriage rattled. Rumpelstiltskin vanished in a puff of gold smoke and the carriage disintegrated around her and she was swept up by black and gold smoke. The black and gold smoke carried her higher and higher till finally she began hurtling back to earth.

Merida let out a terrified scream and everything went black.

To be continued?

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**(a/n: well, what do you think? Review and all that)**


	2. Ch 2: Dinner with strangers

**(a/n: thank you all for reviewing. As promised, here is the continuation of Forever After. enjoy!)**

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Ch. 2: Dinner with Strangers

Merida groaned and her eyes fluttered open.

The first thing she saw were the branches of a towing tree and pale moonlight peaking through the branches, shining directly into her eyes.

Merida forced her self to sit up. Her head throbbed in pain and she felt a sense of nausea.

Merida groaned in pain a little and she rubbed her eyes. She blinked a few times and her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness.

Merida noticed that she was sitting beside a wide, dirt road. Merida got to her feet and her eyes followed the road.

The road headed north and it went around a bend and heading up a hill. Merida blinked and realized that she was close to home.

Merida frowned in confusion and tried to remember how she came to there. She remembered wandering around in the woods, completely lost. Then she remembered meeting Rumpelstiltskin and the contract.

The contract! She had almost forgotten all about it. Merida looked around for the document and she saw it lying on the ground a few feet away from her.

She walked over and scooped it up. Merida wiped off some grass and dirt off of the contract and saw the elegant writing on the parchment. Merida sighed in relief and she folded the contract until it was a perfect square.

She turned to the dirt road and she began her journey home.

* * *

Merida followed the well-traveled road north for almost an hour and she came to a stop at the foot of a hill. Merida paused for a moment and tried to come up with an explanation to tell her family.

Eventually she was going to tell them part of the truth, that she was lost and she ran into a traveler and he helped her find her way back.

Satisfied that she had come up with the right cover story, she continued her journey home and climbed up the hill. Once she reached the top of the hill, she froze in place.

Lying ahead was Castle DunBroch, her home. But what made her freeze into place was the state of the castle. In the light of the full moon, she saw that sections of the castles walls were reduced to rubble, the front gates swung loosely of their hinges and the banners of the clans were gone.

She also noticed that moss and vines had grown all over of the walls, making it almost blend into its surroundings. Merida looked to the castle green where the games where held earlier that day and saw that the tents were gone.

Merida frowned in confusion, wondering what had happened. Suddenly a cold sensation ran down her spine and a single explanation popped into her head. They were attacked.

Merida took off, sprinting all the way to the castle.

As she got closer to the castle, she saw signs of battle damage on the castle walls. Lying in the grass were discarded weapons and helmets. Merida's heart hammered away as she entered the castle through the front gates.

The gates were covered with cuts and markings that would suggest that the gates were hammered by a battering ram or something as powerful.

Merida entered the courtyard and she almost tripped over an old barrel that was covered in moss.

Merida scanned the courtyard for a sign of life but she saw nothing but moss covered walls and barrels. Merida began to feel panicked.

She called out "Mom! Dad!" no one responded.

A cold breeze blew through the courtyard, causing her to shiver. She called out again but still no answer. Merida heard creaking coming from behind and she turned to see what it was. She saw that the creaking came from a door from across the courtyard; she figured that the cold breeze opened it.

Merida frowned in confusion, what happened to everyone? The castle looked like it was attacked but it also looked like no one had lived in the castle for years.

The cold breeze blew again and this time it carried the scent of dinner.

Merida sniffed the air and an array of delicious scents drifted through her nostrils. Potatoes, meat, other assorted scent's mingled in the air. Merida glanced around, trying to find the source of the smells.

She stopped when she saw smoke drifting out through the open doorway across the courtyard.

Merida went to the doorway and the smells got stronger. She peaked inside the open doorway and saw some stairs leading upwards and further into the castle.

The princess cautiously climbed the stairs and followed the smell of food.

* * *

She followed the smell of cooking through darkness. Merida paused and she realized that the hallway was familiar.

She remembered that it lead to the great hall where her family and their guests would dine.

As she got closer to the doors of the great hall, she heard voices echoing off the walls.

The first voice belonged to a woman. The second voice belonged to a man.

The two voices were talking about something. Merida began to tiptoe to the doors, her heart beating slowly. The doors were left open slightly, letting flickering orange light spill into the hall.

Merida paused and she listened to the listen to their conversation. "…Delicious, you've outdone yourself Duncan" said the woman.

The man just grunted "No big deal really" "Honestly, this is probably the best stew you've made in a long time" insisted the woman.

Merida peaked into the great hall through the opening. Inside, the great hall was alight with hundreds of candles that were scattered all around the floor.

A great fire crackled away in the hearth and sitting on the floor in front of the roaring fire were two figures.

One was obviously a woman. She was small, old, with a head of white hair, a hooked nose and a hunched back. Draped over her shoulders was a dark green shawl. The second figure was the man. Merida couldn't see his face because he was wearing a hood.

The two were sitting side-by-side, slurping hot stew from wooden bowels.

Merida scowled at the two strangers. Who were they and what are they doing here?

Merida shivered, feeling a cold wind blow through the corridor.

Suddenly the two stopped eating and glanced around the great hall. Merida froze and held her breath. The two sat in silence for a minute then they just shrugged and returned to their meal.

Merida sighed in relief but suddenly her nose began to twitch and she sneezed.

Merida froze and saw the great hall's doors opened, revealing the old woman and the hooded man.

The two stood there, shooting Merida suspicious glares.

Merida smiled meekly "Uh…Hello"

"Hello" greeted the old woman.

The hooded man bowed his head a little "Greetings".

The three of them stood in awkward silence, staring at each other for a few moments. Finally, the old woman asked, "Would you care to join us for dinner?" Merida gulped.

She didn't know what to do. She was trapped.

Merida nodded "Yes, thank you"

The old woman smiled "I hope you like soup".

Merida, the old woman and the hooded man went back towards the hearth where there was a medium sized pot hung over the fire. The old woman waved a hand and the pot drifted out of the hearth. With another wave of her hand, a bowl and spoon floated to the pot and the spoon scooped out some soup into the bowel. Once the bowel was filled with soup, the bowel floated into Merida's hands and the pot floated back over the fire.

Merida's eyes went wide and she looked at the woman in shock "How did you do that?"

"Magic" said the old woman, shrugging as if it weren't a big deal.

The man sat down at Merida's right and the old woman sat down at Merida's left.

Merida sniffed the soup cautiously and eventually, she scooped some into her mouth. Merida's eyes widened "This is delicious!"

"All thanks to our cook" said the old woman, nodding to the hooded man "Duncan"

"Its nothing really" said Duncan, modestly.

Merida ate a few spoonfuls of soup and she asked the old woman "Who are you people and what are you doing here in my father's castle?"

The old woman blinked then answered, "I'm just a woodcarver and a witch in my spare time" the old woman nodded to Duncan "He's an elf".

Duncan pulled back his hood, revealing the face of a handsome man. His skin was as pale as snow, he had bright green eyes, long blond hair that was so light that it almost looked white and pointed ears. His had an angular face with high cheekbones.

Merida stared at the two in shock "A witch…a-and an elf?"

"Yes" said Duncan as he scooped a few more spoonfuls of soup into his mouth.

The witch sighed "And to answer the other part of your question, we live here, its ours"

"What?" exclaimed Merida, almost spilling her soup. The princess shook her head "No, no, this castle belongs to my father, King Fergus and my mother Queen Eleanor".

The witch and the elf glanced at each other, and then they looked to Merida "Are you alright dear?" asked the witch, placing a hand on Merida's forehead "Your not coming down with the sickness are you?"

Merida swatted the witch's hand away "I'm fine, can you just tell me where my mother and father are" "And who would they be?" asked Duncan.

Merida groaned in annoyance and said in a loud tone "King Fergus and Queen Eleanor!"

Duncan frowned and asked her "What is your name?" "Merida" answered Merida, "Princess Merida, perhaps you heard of me?".

Duncan sat there with an inquisitive look on his face. The elf stared at Merida for a few moments with his bright green eyes when finally he said, "No, I don't believe that I have".

Merida groaned and buried her face in her hands.

The old woman patted Merida on the shoulder "There, there, everything will be alright" soothed the witch.

Merida lifted her head and glanced to the elderly woman "Can you please tell me, where are King Fergus and Queen Eleanor?"

The witch's lips tightened and she glanced to the elf with a look of concern on her face, then back to Merida "…They're dead"

Merida's eyes widened in shock and her heart almost stopped "W-what?"

"They're dead" repeated the witch.

Merida couldn't believe it. Merida opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. A large part of her told her that it wasn't true, but a small part knew that it was true. After a moment Merida asked "H-how?"

"It happened years ago" explained the witch.

The elderly woman stared into the fire saying "But their fates were sealed years before their demise"

"What do you mean?" asked Merida.

The witch went silent and she looked to Duncan.

Merida looked to the elf. The elf slurped the last of his soup from his spoon and he placed his bowl on the floor "Please, tell me, what happened?" asked Merida.

The elf looked to Merida then explained "Years ago, the king and queen wanted to have children but they were unable to. For years they tried but no such luck, until one stormy night".

The elf's expression darkened "A stranger came to the castle. He asked to stay and wait out the storm. He did not have money, he was a poor wanderer but he promised that if the king and queen gave him shelter, they would be richly rewarded"

the elf sighed "They agreed and they allowed him to stay. Once the storm had passed, he departed without saying goodbye. But he returned, later that night with their reward"

"What was it?" asked Merida.

The elf answered grimly "To grant their wish to have children"

Merida's eyes widened "What did the king and queen do?" "They didn't believe him" said Duncan

"That sounds like my father" murmured Merida.

Duncan nodded "Indeed, but they decided to humor the stranger. They agreed to the offer that was presented to them and the stranger departed from DunBroch without another word. It was at that moment, they sealed their own fate".

Duncan shook his head muttering "Foolish humans" "What happened?" asked Merida.

Duncan turned his attention towards the hearth "For months things seemed normal, until suddenly the queen became pregnant. It was a shock to them both. They were unable to have children for years but now, suddenly Queen Eleanor was pregnant? It was then they remembered the deal they made and were overjoyed. The queen gave birth to three boys named-" "Harris, Hubert and Hamish" said Merida, interrupting Duncan.

The elf blinked in surprise "How do you know that?"

"They're my brothers" said Merida.

Duncan's eyes darted to the witch and back to Merida.

The elf frowned and continued "Anyway, the king and queen lived happily with their three sons. Until, a few years later, the wanderer returned to DunBroch"

Merida felt her heart sink into her stomach, knowing that something horrible was going to happen.

"The wanderer approached the king and queen and demanded what he was promised. The King and Queen were confused and said they didn't know what he was talking about. The wanderer explained that they had agreed to give something in exchange of having children. The thing they unknowingly agreed to give up was their kingdom" Merida's jaw dropped in shock.

The elf nodded "That was their exact reaction when they learned what they had done" "What happened?" asked Merida.

Duncan scratched his chin "Well the details are vague, but the way I heard it was that they chased the wanderer out of the kingdom. They swore that if he ever showed his face in the kingdom again, they would kill him" Merida smiled a little at that.

Duncan sighed, "But that only made things worse" "aye, it did" agreed the witch

"Worse?" said Merida "How could it get worse?"

Duncan inhaled deeply "The wanderer hadn't been seen for weeks. Believing that they wouldn't be seeing him again, the king and queen began to relax and believe that they were safe. But suddenly, in the dead of night, the wanderer returned with an army and assaulted the castle".

A cold wind rolled into the great hall, causing the candles to flicker. Duncan continued "If it were a normal army, they may have had a chance at victory, but they were attacked by an army of witches. The witches quickly overwhelmed the castle's defenses and in the battle, the king was slain"

Merida a deep feeling of dread come over her. An image of her father's corpse appeared in her mind but she quickly pushed it out of her mind.

Duncan sighed, "In the chaos, the queen fled with her sons but eventually they too fell".

Merida breathed heavily and she shook her head "This cannot be happening, this is got to be a nightmare"

"It happened" said Duncan "I was there, I watched as the castle fell".

Merida turned to the witch and asked "Were you there?"

"No, most certainly not!" said the witch, indignantly "I was away on business when it happened".

Merida turned to Duncan "What happened to the wanderer and the witches?"

Duncan shrugged "I don't know, some believe they moved northward towards the sea but others say he moved on, heading towards another kingdom".

Merida sat there feeling cold. Her family was dead. Her mother, her father, even her brothers weren't spared. What Duncan had told her made her head spin. Merida buried her face in her hands "This doesn't make any sense" mumbled Merida

"What?" asked Duncan

"I saw my mother and father only this morning" said Merida "And they were alive and well"

"What are you talking about?" asked Duncan.

Merida explained what happened earlier that morning, the games, the argument and getting lost in the woods "I ran away because my mother was forcing me to marry someone I didn't" explained Merida.

Duncan frowned "Interesting story but Queen Eleanor didn't have a daughter"

"Yes she did, me" insisted Merida. The witch and Duncan stared at Merida oddly.

Merida groaned, "Is this a sick joke?" "I don't know, is it?" said Duncan.

Merida sighed in exasperation, she threw her arms in the air and fell back on the cold hard ground. This day was just got from bad, to worse. She was sitting in her own home with a witch and an elf who were saying that her family is dead and that she was never born.

Merida closed her eyes, hoping that once she opened them, she would be in her room and it would be all a dream. She opened her eyes and groaned. It didn't work.

"What's this?" asked Duncan

Merida sat up and she saw that the elf was holding her contract.

Merida just waved a hand "Just some magic contract I signed to get out my marriage, but so far it has been nothing but a disappointment, it isn't doing what that dwarf said it would"

Duncan's eyes darted around the contract.

Once he finished, he folded the parchment up and he handed it back to Merida saying, "On the contrary, it did exactly as you wanted"

"What? No it didn't" said Merida.

Duncan nodded "Yes it did"

Merida scowled "It was supposed to get me out of marrying someone, not kill my family" "Well it did just that" said Duncan.

Merida's heart skipped a beat "What do you mean?"

"What he means is that the contract freed you from your obligations but not in the way you intended" said the Witch.

Duncan shook his head "Magical Contracts are powerful items, they are not to be taken lightly" his eyes narrowed "Where did you get it?"

Merida described her meeting with Rumpelstiltskin and what she gave in return for the contract.

Duncan's eyes widened "You did what!" "I…gave him a day from my life" said Merida

"Did specify what day?" asked Duncan

"N-no" said Merida, nervously.

Duncan buried his face in his hands "Oh no"

"What is it?" asked Merida.

Duncan looked up at her "When you deal in magical transactions, you have to give a day to make the magic work but if you want the wish to be done right, you have to specifically give the dealer a day that you wouldn't miss, for example a day you caught a cold and were sick for the whole day, the day you broke you leg"

"What happens if you don't?" asked Merida.

Duncan frowned "If you don't, than the deal will have to choose a day at random. But if he were a malicious person, he would choose an important day. For example, the day you were born" Merida's heart dropped into her gut.

The details and workings of magic is a complete mystery to her but she knew that whatever she did, it wasn't good.

Merida stammered "W-what happens if he did choose the day I was born?"

"If that happened, than you were never born" said Duncan "And if you weren't born, than the life you had ceases to be. Everything changes completely and you receive a blank slate, a new life where your old life never happened"

the elf's eyebrow's rose "Which would explain why you believe that you're the daughter of King Fergus and Queen Eleanor"

"I am" said Merida.

The Witch frowned at the elf "How do you know so much about magic contracts?"

"I took a course on magic transactions and dealings in school" said Duncan "My cousin also did some magic dealings until he retired a few years ago".

Merida mulled over what Duncan had told her. She slowly processed the information in her head, muttering "That dwarf cheated me"

"Well to be fair magic contracts are a rather difficult form of magic" said The witch

"Indeed, if you aren't specific right down to the smallest details, you might end up with something you never really intended" said Duncan.

The elf paused and asked, "What was the dwarf's name that gave you this deal?" "Rumpel-something" mumbled Merida,

Duncan and the Witch glanced at each other in shock and to Merida. Merida noticed their shocked expressions "What?"

"Did you say Rumpelstiltskin?" asked Duncan.

Merida nodded and the elf muttered in disbelief, "Of all the-" he spoke a little louder "You made a deal, with Rumpelstiltskin?"

Merida nodded again "Yes, what about it?"

"Rumpelstiltskin is probably one of the most deceitful beings I have ever known" said Duncan "He's clever and shifty, if you're not careful, he can steal everything you have before you even know it"

"How do you know Rumpelstiltskin?" asked Merida.

Duncan swallowed hard and spoke softly "He was the wanderer who arrived in DunBroch all those years ago, he was the one who lead the attack on this castle and he was the one who had a hand in the deaths of the king and queen".

* * *

Meanwhile, a trio of long wooden boats glided across the lake towards the ruined castle.

Standing on the bow of the lead ship was a massive, beefy man with a wild beard, bearskin cloak and horned helmet.

He steadied himself by placing a hand on the wooden dragon's head that was carved on the ship.

The man's eyes zeroed in on their target, an old ruined castle that sat alone beneath the night sky.

The pale moonlight made it look rather chilling but he didn't care. He was Stoick the Vast; he battled dragons and other terrifying foes that make a simple raid on an eerie abandoned castle and the nearby villages seem like cake walk.

Stoick squinted and he saw a faint orange glow coming from one of the windows in the castle.

Someone had gotten there first.

Stoick turned to the Viking's in his in his boat and the other boats, he signaled them to be ready, as their target grew ever closer.

End of chapter.

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**(a/n: well what do you think? Sorry if it's not that good. Anyway, review!)**


	3. Ch 3: Taken

**(a/n: If anyone is reading this, enjoy. Remember, Reviews=more chapters. So if you want more, review!)**

* * *

Ch.3: Taken

Merida laid alone in her bed.

Her head was swimming with thousands and questions and thoughts. Duncan's words echoed around in her mind.

She had been told that her parents were dead, she was never born and she had made a deal with the one who murdered her parents and brothers.

Merida mentally scolded herself for signing Rumpelstiltskin's magic contract. But she couldn't have known that by signing the contract, her life would be this radically different.

Merida sighed and she pulled the blanket that the witch gave her closer to her, shielding her from the cold wind that blew through her now ruined home.

After dinner, Duncan decided that it was time that it was time for everyone to go to bed. Duncan led Merida through some familiar corridors till they reached what was formally her room. Merida thanked Duncan. He told her that he and the Witch would be sleeping in the great hall and if she needed anything, she need only shout.

Merida inspected her room and she felt a cold empty feeling overcome her.

It was bare, only a bed remained in the room. Cobwebs hung on the ceiling, a chilly wind swept through the window. Pale moonlight filtered into the room.

She crawled into bed and she tried to sleep but failed. Thoughts raced frantically through her mind. The more she tried to ignore those thoughts they only resurface.

Finally, Merida gave up and she sat up in her bed. The princess sighed and buried her face in her hands.

She had made a horrible mistake. Every part of her wanted to take everything back, the argument with her mother, the deal with Rumpelstiltskin but it was impossible.

Suddenly an idea came to her mind.

Merida jumped out bed and she sprinted all the way back to the great hall, where Duncan and the Witch were sitting by the fire chatting.

Once they heard the doors burst open, the two looked up at Merida in surprise "Merida? What is it?" asked Duncan.

Merida went up to the elf and asked, "Where can I find Rumpelstiltskin?"

"What? Why?" asked the elf

"Please just answer my question" said Merida.

The elf frowned then said "Uh, well last I heard, Rumpelstiltskin had set up shop in some kingdom in the south, I heard he was making a deal with someone important"

"How far is it?" asked Merida

"far" said the elf "About a three week journey by horse, more if you walk".

The Witch frowned at Merida "You're not planning on confronting Rumpelstiltskin are you?"

"I am" said Merida.

The elf and the witch looked at each other in worry "That would be ill advised" said Duncan "And foolhardy" added the witch

"Why?" asked Merida

"Because Rumpelstiltskin is a dangerous person and the journey itself would be suicide" answered Duncan.

Merida sighed, "I have to try something, I can't just sit here and do nothing. This is not the life I wanted. Please, help me."

The elf stared into Merida's eyes, till he sighed. Duncan rubbed his neck "Well there is something you can do" "There is?" said Merida, perking up a little.

Duncan nodded "Yeah, there is only one person I know of who was able to break Rumpelstiltskin's contract" "Who?" asked Merida. Duncan was about to answer but he froze and he scowled.

The witch noticed the look on his face and asked, "What is it?"

"We're not alone," said Duncan. The witch's eyes widened "Them again?" the elf nodded.

The witch cursed and she waved her hand and the light of the candles extinguished. The Witch waved a hand at the fire and the flames shrank, causing the room to dim. Merida frowned in confusion "What is it? What's going on?"

"Every several months the castle gets some visitors, namely Vikings" explained Duncan, who was using magic to move the candles out sight "They usually come, raid the kitchen and the nearby village for food then they leave. But I got to say, they're a bit early this month".

Merida paled "Vikings?"

"After the death of the king and queen, the kingdom sort of…fell apart" explained the Witch "With the kingdom in disarray, the Vikings began raiding and pillaging without anyone to stop them".

Duncan went to the doors and he listened intently.

In the distance he heard a deep voice growl orders and some footsteps. The elf glanced back at Merida and the Witch "They're coming". The Witch nodded then she snapped her fingers, causing the fire to die with a hiss, plunging the three in complete darkness.

The second the fire died, the doors to the great hall creaked open. Standing there was a massive male, dressed in a heavy bearskin cloak, boots, a horned helmet and carrying a torch. Merida froze in place at the sight of the man.

He was huge. The Viking was easily as big as her father and looked just as strong too. The Viking had wild beard of red hair and dark eyes. The large Viking hefted a massive hammer and he stepped into the darkness with his torch lighting the way.

Every part of Merida told her to run but the witch placed a hand Merdia's shoulder and gave her a calm look.

Merida glanced to Duncan who put his finger to his lips. He pulled up his hood and he started to tiptoe towards the exit. The elf slipped past the Viking and he managed to reach the door.

Duncan glanced outside then he turned and waved Merida and the Witch over.

Merida tiptoed towards Duncan with the witch following closely behind her.

They circled around the Viking. Merida held her breath and tried as hard as she could to be silent.

Once she and the Witch made it to the other side, Merida let out a small sigh of relief. Duncan slipped out through the open doorway and into the corridor. Once the coast was clear, he signaled that it was clear.

Merida and the Witch stepped into the corridor. Duncan, Merida and the witch quietly made their way down the dark corridor, away from the great hall. Once she was sure they were far enough away, Merida whispered to Duncan "Why didn't he see us?"

"I cast a simple spell that hides us" explained Duncan "But it I'm not very gifted in magic, so it won't last long. We must leave before-" suddenly a voice cried out "Over here!"

The three turned and saw a young female Viking with blond hair standing at the far end of the corridor brandishing a large ax "The spell wears off" finished Duncan.

The three turned and took off running down the corridor.

* * *

They came to a skidding halt at the top of the stairs that led out to the castle courtyard. They heard footfalls and shouts coming from down the stairs. Duncan glanced around he pointed towards another corridor "That way!" they turned and took off.

As they ran, Merida glanced over her shoulder and saw torchlight and shadows of Vikings in hot pursuit.

The three runaways came to a part of the corridor where it split into two.

Duncan pointed in one direction saying "Merida, go that way, follow the corridor and it will take you out of the castle" "What about you?" asked Merida.

Duncan nodded to the other corridor "We'll take this corridor and draw off them off just long enough for you to get away"

"Why would you do that?" asked Merida. Duncan didn't answer. He shoved a rolled up parchment into her hands saying "Good luck".

The elf turned and took off running down the corridor.

The witch bowed her head a little "So long dearie" she turned and she sprinted after the elf.

Merida watched as they vanished into the darkness of the corridor. The voices of the Vikings were growing louder and louder. She turned and sprinted down her corridor.

* * *

Even though it was dark, Merida's eyes could see well enough for her to find her way.

She followed the corridor till it reached a set of stairs. Merida descended the stairs till she came to a large wooden door. Merida tried to open it but it wouldn't budge.

She heard voices coming from up the stairway and she began to panic.

Merida backed away from the door and she rushed it, slamming her shoulder into the door, knocking it loose from its rusty hinges. The door fell to the moss covered ground with a muted thud.

Merida rubbed her sore shoulder and stumbled outside. The sky was clear of clouds and was filled with gleaming stars. Dominating the sky was a full pale moon.

Merida heard screams and shouts coming from one of the castle's turrets. She looked up and saw shapes of people.

Two silhouettes were backed up against the edge with a dozen other shapes surrounding them.

The taller of the two shapes held up a hand and a flash of purple light struck down a few of its attackers.

Merida guessed that it was either Duncan or the witch.

There were some shouts and the large shapes lunged for the two cornered ones. But before they could overwhelm them, the two fell over the edge. They fell and fell and then vanished from Merida's sight behind the castle wall.

Merida felt a chill run down her spine. Duncan and the witch were dead.

She didn't know how to react, she barely knew them but they were kind to her.

Merida clenched the roll of parchment Duncan gave her tightly and she turned to leave but she came face to face with the point of a sword.

Standing there was a Viking, male and he looked around Merida's age. The boy was dressed in a brown fur vest, a dark green shirt and boots. He stood there holding the sword with both hands, with the sharpened tip pointed at Merida's nose "Don't move" said the Viking.

Merida gulped and held up her hands mumbling "Alright" He kept the sword aimed at her.

Merida's mind raced as she tried to figure out how she can get away from him.

Suddenly they heard a bird caw and the boy almost jumped out of his skin, he quickly turned away and swung his sword, cutting nothing but air.

Now was her chance.

Merida tackled the boy and the two wrestled around on the ground. Merida punched him, he clawed at her, and she smacked him. They rolled around on the ground, punching and kicking each other and in a matter of seconds, Merida quickly jumped to her feet, holding the sword and she leveled it to the boy's heart.

The boy's eyes widened in terror and he froze.

Merida noticed that she dropped the roll of parchment while they were fighting. She glanced around to find it but she turned her attention back to the Viking and jabbed the tip of the sword at his heart.

Merida hated Vikings. Her father fought them and would often tell her that they were cruel, vicious barbarians.

She wanted to drive the sword right through his heart but something prevented her doing so.

Merida heard a female voice growl "Put down the sword" she turned and saw the blond Viking from before.

The girl brandished an extremely sharp ax and she gave Merida a cold, icy glare

"Astrid" said the boy in relief

"Are you ok?" the girl asked the boy. The boy nodded a little "Yeah, bruised but ok".

Astrid glared at Merida and growled "Drop your sword"

Merida leveled the sword at the girl named Astrid saying "No".

Astrid smirked "Wrong answer" and swung her ax. Merida raised her sword and blocked Astrid's attack. Astrid kept swinging and Merida kept blocking.

Their weapons rang with each strike.

As the exchanged blows, the boy quietly got to his feet and he reached for a leather pouch that hung on his belt. He opened the pouch a little and scooped out a fist full of glittering blue dust. The boy slowly got to his feet and he waited for the right moment.

Once he saw an opening, he yelled to Astrid "Get down!" Astrid leapt out of the way and he hurled the dust at the redhead.

Merida spun around to face the boy but a cloud of sparkling blue dust struck her face, temporarily blinding her.

She coughed and wiped the dust out of her face. Merida blinked a few times and suddenly a sweet smell filled her nostrils. Her vision began to blur and the world began to slip away.

Merida's legs became wobbly, she sank to her knees and finally she toppled to the ground, sinking into a deep sleep.

* * *

Astrid and the boy stood there and stared at the girl on the ground "You ok?" asked Astrid

"Yeah" said the boy "Thanks to you, another minute and i think she may have killed me".

Astrid nudged the sleeping redhead with her foot "How long will she be asleep?"

the boy shrugged "Hours, minutes, I don't know".

Astrid glanced at the boy and smiled "You did well, Hiccup."

Hiccup smiled "Thanks Astrid".

The two teen Vikings looked up at the ruined castle and saw Hiccup's father approach them. He was covered in soot and the edge of his cloak was singed.

Stoick had a look of relief on his face "Good to see that your ok Hiccup"

"Nothing to worry about" said Hiccup "I had everything under control"

Stoick looked down at the unconscious redhead then to Astrid "Was she any trouble?"

"Yeah" said Astrid, leaning on her ax "If it weren't for Hiccup's powder, I think she may have beaten me".

Stoick grinned and placed a hand on his son's shoulder "Good work son" "Thanks dad" said Hiccup happily.

The three Vikings looked down at the unconscious girl.

Astrid looked to Stoick and asked, "Do you believe we finally have what Rumpelstiltskin has been searching for?"

Stoick nodded "I believe so". He looked to Astrid and Hiccup "Tie her up and her take her back to the ship, then go help the others load the food"

The two young Vikings nodded and they carried the unconscious girl back to the longboats.

End of chapter.

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**(a/n: well, here you go. if you want more chapters, review! Till next time, bye!)**


	4. Ch 4: Escape

**(a/n: thanks for all the reviews! Enjoy and please review!)**

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Ch.4: Escape

Merida's eyes opened slowly.

Her vision was completely blurry and she saw nothing but fuzzy shapes moving in front of her.

She blinked a few times and slowly everything came into focus. Merida saw that she was in the middle of a great, stone hall. It was enormous and it looked big enough to hold the entire population of a large village.

Large stone and wood pillars held up the high ceilings, torches and lamps provided lighting to the hall.

Scattered around the hall were large wooden tables that could seat a dozen people each.

Tapestries hung on the walls depicting scenes of men in horned helmets battling fierce monsters and other opponents. There were several men in the hall, all wearing heavy furs, horned helmets and carried weaponry.

They all sat around a single table at the far side of the hall, eating and chattering among their group. Merida frowned in confusion as to where she was.

But suddenly her memories of last night returned.

Vikings attacked, Duncan and the Witch fell off of the castle's turret and that boy hit her with that strange blue dust.

Merida tried to stand but she found that she couldn't. She looked down and saw that she was tied to her chair by large coils of rope.

Merida heard the doors to the hall open and she saw a single figure enter. As the figure approach, Merida got a better look at the newcomer.

It was the boy who threw the dust. He wore the same clothing, minus the helmet.

The boy carried a wooden plate in his hands.

He placed the plate on the table in front of Merida and he looked her in the eye saying, "I'm going to untie you. Don't try to escape because you won't make it out of this hall alive, so please just eat your breakfast and don't do anything stupid. Ok?" Merida nodded.

The boy undid the ropes holding Merida in place and he sat down in the seat across from her. Merida rubbed her wrists and she looked down at the bowl that sat in front of her. On the plate was a giant leg of turkey, cooked fish and an apple.

Merida looked up at the boy who sat across from her and he just nodded "It's ok to eat"

Merida hesitated and eventually she started to eat. After a few minutes of eating, she asked the boy through a mouthful of food "Where am I?"

"You're in Burk" said the boy "A small island that's twelve days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death. It's located solidly on the meridian of misery"

"Sounds like a charming place" said Merida, sarcastically

"It is" said the boy "We have hunting, fishing and a charming view of the sunsets".

Merida smiled a little. She held out a hand "I'm Merida" the boy accepted her hand and shook it "I'm Hiccup".

Merida snorted and she tried not to laugh but Hiccup just waved a hand "Go ahead, laugh. Everybody does" Merida laughed.

Hiccup's lip twitched and he chuckled a little.

Once Merida finished laughing, she coughed and asked, "What were you going at Castle DunBroch?"

Hiccup sighed, "We were gathering food for the winter" "Why?" asked Merida "By the looks of things, you lot look like you have enough food"

Hiccup nodded "We do but our numbers are slowly growing to the point where we have to go raiding nearby villages and castles for food, all thanks to Rumpelstiltskin".

Merida's eyes narrowed "What about Rumpelstiltskin?"

"Oh you know how he duped some poor king and took his kingdom" said Hiccup, waving a hand.

Merida shook her head "No, I don't"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow "Really? I mean everybody has heard the story"

"I didn't" said Merida "Now, tell me what is going on and how do you know Rumpelstiltskin?"

Hiccup took a deep breath and explained "Well, Rumpelstiltskin made a deal with a king who was having financial troubles. The deal was that the king would have the ability to turn anything he touches to gold, in return for a few sacks of gold. Well things were going well for the king and his kingdom, they became prosperous until one day, and the king accidentally touched his daughter and turned her to gold. He went to Rumpelstiltskin and begged him to take his gold touch back but Rumpelstiltskin refused, saying that it was impossible unless they made a new deal"

"Let me guess" interrupted Merida "He wanted the king's kingdom in return for taking away the gold touch and returning the king's daughter to normal".

Hiccup nodded "You got it. The king refused at first, knowing that his kingdom was important to him but eventually he gave in. He signed another contract but something went wrong. The king was turned to a statue of pure gold. As it turned out, Rumpelstiltskin tricked him and placed a curse on him. With the king gone, Rumpelstiltskin claimed the kingdom as his own"

Hiccup sighed "And they say that he keeps the king and his daughter as ornaments in his castle's courtyard".

Merida shook her head, she couldn't believe it, Rumpelstiltskin had duped another kingdom and this time he has trapped the two royals as decorations for his garden.

Merida decided to ask Hiccup the most pressing question on her mind "Hiccup?"

"Hmm?" said Hiccup

"Why am I here?" asked Merida "Why did you bring me to Burk?"

Hiccup's expression turned sad and he looked away from her.

Merida frowned "Hiccup?"

Hiccup sighed deeply and said softly "We brought you here…so we could turn you over to Rumpelstiltskin"

"What!?" exclaimed Merida "Why?.

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck "Rumpelstiltskin has put a bounty on the head of a red haired girl from Scotland, he didn't say who exactly but from the description he gave, it sounded a lot like you"

"Why did he put a bounty on my head?" asked Merida.

The young Viking shrugged "I don't know but the price on your head is pretty large and…we need the money"

"What for?" said Merida "You're Viking's-"

"Who are in desperate need of supplies" interrupted a voice.

The two turned and saw Astrid, the blond girl who Merida fought. She sat down beside Hiccup and eyed Merida coldly "These days we don't do much raiding and pillaging, most of the time we're trying to guard our lands from Rumpelstiltskin and his army of witches. Our allies come to us for protection and that means more mouths to feed. If we turn you over to the dwarf, he will reward us richly".

Merida wanted to argue but Astrid did make a valid point. If the situation were reversed, she probably would've done the same. Merida could only nod.

* * *

After Merida had finished eating, Astrid and Hiccup escorted Merida to her new living quarters.

As they walked through the village, Merida took in her surroundings with awe. The village was composed of dozens of sturdy houses made of wood and stone with carvings of dragons on each roof.

The village was built on the side of a steep slope.

Further up the slope, Merida saw newer homes being constructed.

In the skies above, she saw something that made her eyes widen "A-are those?" she stammered "are those dragons?"

"Yeah" said Hiccup, smiling a little. Soaring above the village were a pair of large dragons with twin heads and green scales. Hiccup explained that several years ago, dragons were constantly attacking Burk stealing livestock and what not. Eventually they learned that the dragons were only giving the stolen livestock to an even bigger dragon that would devour those who didn't serve him.

Hiccup, Astrid, their friends and some dragons were able to kill the large dragon. Then, over time, Hiccup brought dragons and Vikings together.

Astrid added that with the help of the dragons, they were able to fend off Rumpelstiltskin and his witches to the point where Rumpelstiltskin agreed to leave them be.

The three reached a small hut. Once they were inside, Merida saw a large wall of iron bars blocking half of the room. It was a prison.

Behind the wall of iron bars, was a small bed. Astrid opened the door and she shoved Merida in.

Once she locked the door, Astrid told Merida, "You will be staying here till tomorrow morning"

"What happens tomorrow morning?" asked Merida.

Astrid smirked "Rupelstiltskin will come and collect you".

* * *

Outside, a figure in a dark green cloak quietly strolled through Burk.

Vikings passed him by and paid no attention to the stranger. He accidentally bumped into a Viking girl but she thought it was her twin brother who hit her.

The cloaked figure sighed in relief that his spell was still working and he continued on.

He came to a stop outside a small hut that rested at the edge of the village. He put his ear against the door and listened. He heard three voices. Two were unrecognizable and the third he recognized instantly. He heard footsteps approaching the door.

Quickly, he darted around to the side of the hut and he patiently listened.

Two Viking teenagers walked out of the hut, one girl, one boy. The girl rubbed her hands together "That takes care of that"

"I don't know Astrid" mumbled the boy "I don't think we should do this"

"Do what?" asked the girl named Astrid

"Handing her over to Rumpelstiltskin" said the boy.

Astrid sighed "Hiccup-" "You and I both know what he dose to the girls he catches," said Hiccup "Do you want that to happen to her?".

Astrid was silent for a moment, and then she said softly "Yes, I know what he dose to them and no I don't want that to happen to her. I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemies, but we have to do this or else we won't see Fishlegs, my brother or any of the other's Rumpelstiltskin is holding prisoner".

Hiccup didn't speak. Hiccup only nodded. The two began walking away from the hut.

The cloaked figure smiled "This is going to be easy" he muttered.

Suddenly he felt a warm gust of air hit the back of his neck.

He turned and he saw a large, black dragon with emerald eyes staring him down and looked ready to rip him apart.

Duncan sighed "Me and my big mouth".

* * *

The hours slowly crawled by and the sun slowly sank beyond the vast horizon, turning the sky dark. The stars gleamed and the moon cast a pale light on the village below.

Merida sat in her prison trying to figure a way to escape but so far she had nothing.

Hiccup brought her lunch and they talked as she ate. They talked for hours and the more she talked to Hiccup, the more Merida came to enjoy his company. Hiccup had left a while ago and left a young dark haired Viking named Snotlout to guard her, in case she escaped.

Merida found the dark haired Viking annoying.

He constantly boasted about how strong he was and he even tried to flirt with her once.

She decided to try and get some sleep. Finally after what seemed like hours, the door opened and Hiccup walked in carrying her dinner.

Hiccup turned to Snotlout saying, "You can go now, it's my turn to keep watch"

"Finally" said Snotlout relieved "I'm starving" he got up from his seat and he left the hut.

Once the door slammed shut, Hiccup tensed up "How did I do?"

Merida frowned in confusion "What?"

a new voice spoke "Perfect".

Merida looked around and saw nobody "Who said that?" "I did," answered the voice.

Behind Hiccup there was a shimmer and a figure in a green cloak appeared. The figure pulled off his hood revealing a familiar face "Duncan!" exclaimed Merida.

The elf looked a little tired but he looked perfectly healthy. Duncan smiled "Miss me?"

"How are you alive?" asked Merida "I saw you and the witch fall"

the elf shrugged "A simple spell helped cushion the fall" he shook his head "Anyway, there's not much time we got to go" he pointed at the door to her cell, the lock clicked and the door swung open.

Merida walked out of her cell and hugged the elf saying "Thank you".

The elf frowned and awkwardly returned the hug saying, "You're welcome".

Merida looked up at the elf "How did you find me?"

"That parchment I gave you" said Duncan "I put a tracking spell on it. After we fell, the witch told me to track you down and help you if you were in trouble".

He turned his attention towards the door and said, "We must leave, or we'll be discovered".

Duncan handed Merida a knife and he left the hut.

Merida looked to Hiccup who looked petrified. She grabbed his arm and dragged him along.

* * *

The three of them quietly made their way through the village.

The entire village was quite with no one in sight.

Merida frowned "Where is everyone?"

"At the feast" answered Duncan "They're having a little celebratory dinner before they give you up to Rumpelstiltskin"

"Why?" asked Merida.

The elf winced "Well it may have something to do with the vast reward, the return of the people who are being held captive and something about the dwarf killing you"

"What?!" said Merida, her voice almost rose to a shout.

Duncan told Merida that he Rumpelstiltskin had been rounding up all red haired girls he could find and imprisoned them or killed them. The elf went on to explain that Rumpelstiltskin is quite sure that the Vikings have the right girl he's looking for and he's planning on making a personal journey to Burk and execute her.

Duncan shrugged "Which is why we need to leave soon. Dawn will be here in a matter of hours and we have to put some distance between us and Burk"

"How?" asked Hiccup "The amount of distance you want to cover in that amount of time would be impossible"

the elf grinned "That is where you are wrong my friend".

* * *

Astrid was on her way to the feast when she decided to check on Hiccup, who was on guard duty.

She strolled towards the hut and she paused, noticing that the door was wide open. Astrid cautiously approached the hut and she looked inside.

The inside of the hut was completely empty, no Hiccup and no Merida in sight.

Astrid gritted her teeth and growled, "I'm going to kill her". She turned and took off running in search of Merida.

* * *

Duncan exclaimed, "Here we are!"

The elf had led the two teens to a small glade where a large black dragon with green eyes waited for them.

The dragon looked up from the pile of fish it was eating from and it perked up "Toothless?" said Hiccup in surprise.

Duncan quirked an eyebrow "You know him?"

"Yeah, he's my friend" said Hiccup. The dragon got up then went up to Hiccup and Hiccup hugged the dragon "Hey buddy"

Toothless looked to Merida and growled at her.

Duncan held up a hand "Don't worry, she's with me" the dragon looked to the elf than to Merida. The dragon inspected Merida for a moment then seemed to relax.

Hiccup looked to Duncan in surprise "How did you do that?"

"I spent some time with dragons when I was younger" explained Duncan "lets just say that they understand me".

The elf clapped his hands together "Right, now lets get going".

There was a snap, the three turned and saw Astrid stumble into the glade.

She eyed the three "What's going on here?"

Hiccup was at a loss for words, Duncan remained silent and Merida only stammered.

Quickly, Merida grabbed Hiccup and she put her knife to his throat saying, "We were just leaving"

Hiccup's eyes went wide "We are?"

Astrid scowled at Merida and she growled "Put the knife down and let Hiccup go" "No" said Merida.

The two backed away towards Toothless, Astrid cautiously stepped forward.

Merida noticed that Astrid was reaching for something behind her and she brought the knife closer to Hiccup's throat "Don't try anything" warned Merida "Or else".

Astrid froze and grudgingly obeyed.

Duncan raised his hand and he hurled a blue sphere of light at Astrid. The blue light struck Astrid in the face and she collapsed.

Hiccup looked the elf in shock "What did you do?" "Don't worry, she's just taking a nap" said Duncan "Now before anyone else shows up, lets go!"

Hiccup crawled onto the saddle that was on the dragon's back and Merida got on behind him.

Duncan looked around and he said, "Go, now!" "What about you?" asked Merida

"Toothless cant carry all of us" said the elf "I'll have to find my own way out of here" he handed Merida a rolled up bit of parchment "Follow this map, I'll meet you at your destination and please don't loose it this time".

There were some shouts coming from the woods and Duncan growled, "Go!"

With that, Toothless took off. The dragon soared into the dark sky, flying higher and higher till he was a speck against the pale moon.

Once he was alone, Duncan looked around him in the empty glade and he pulled on his hood then departed the glade.

* * *

After hours of searching for Hiccup and Merida, the sun rose and the Vikings decided to report it to Rumpelstiltskin.

On the horizon, they saw a large ornate carriage that looked like a goose's egg approached the village, pulled by a massive goose.

Escorting the flying carriage was a swarm of witches, clad in black armor and cloaks.

Once the carriage touched down in the heart of the village, Rumpelstiltskin hopped out and greeted the Vikings cheerfully "Hello good people of Burk!" he grinned broadly and waved.

He was dressed in a fine white and gold robe with a white powdered wig on his head.

The dwarf's emerald eyes looked up to Stoick the Vast and said "Well Stoick old buddy, where is this prisoner of yours?"

"Escaped" grunted the large Viking.

The grin on Rumpelstiltskin's face vanished "What?"

"She escaped" growled Stoick "And she took my son"

Rumpelstiltksin snarled "How could she escape!" "She had help" said Astrid.

She explained what happened and Rumpelstiltskin shook his head "This isn't good, w-we have to find her and fast!"

"We will" said Stoick "I've already gathered a search party and we're going to set sail after them"

Rumpelstiltskin nodded "Yes, good, good".

Suddenly an idea came to mind and he smiled "To ensure that the safe return of your son and my prisoner, I'm going to enlist the help of some old pals of mine".

Rumpelstiltskin barked "Baba!"

A dark haired, grey skinned witch stepped forward "Yes?"

"I want you to send a message to some friends of mine" said Rumpelstiltskin

"And who are they?" asked Baba.

The dwarf grinned and said darkly "The Huntsman and the Piper, and tell them that its urgent".

The witch nodded "Yes sir".

Rumpelstiltskin let out a small chuckle and rubbed his hands together knowing that pretty soon, Merida was as good as dead.

End of Chapter

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**(a/n: well what do you think? In future chapters, theres going to be some characters from other movies like Rise of the Guardians and probably Tangled. Anyway, if want more than review!)**


	5. Ch 5: The Swamp

**(a/n: Enjoy and please review!)**

* * *

Ch.5: The Swamp

Merida, Hiccup and Toothless followed a dirt road through a dense forest.

After flying for hours on Toothless, Hiccup had Toothless land once they reached land.

They rested for an hour and they waited for dawn. Once they were rested, they followed the map Duncan gave them.

For another few hours, they flew over miles of open field and farmland until they reached a forest. At the edge of the forest, Merida decided that they should continue the journey on foot.

Merida studied the map in her hands as she walked. She glanced up and she glanced away from the path ahead towards a steep slope of grass.

Merida pointed towards the slope saying "This way"

"Are you sure?" asked Hiccup.

Merida nodded "Yes…I think".

Merida, Hiccup and Toothless left the path and climbed the steep grassy slope. Once they reached the top of the slope they saw beneath them a vast swampy marshland. Close by, they saw a clearing in the middle of a swampy marshland.

In the middle of the marshland was a large earthen hut that was built beneath a massive tree stump.

The two teens saw smoke rising from the hole that was on the top of the tree stump.

Merida looked down at the map and then to the hut "I…I think we're here"

"Really?" said Hiccup, sounding surprised.

He looked at the map and he looked at the hut "Huh, why would Duncan want us to meet him here?"

Merida shrugged "I don't know".

Merida and Hiccup started trudging down the slope with Toothless trailing behind them.

As they approached the hut, Hiccup said aloud "I don't trust that elf" "Why?" asked Merida.

Hiccup shook his head "Elves aren't usually known to be helpful. They usually don't care for humans or human problems. Most of the ones I heard of are mischievous and they like to play deadly pranks on humans".

Merida frowned "I don't know, Duncan has been helping me for the past few days. I don't think he's playing a deadly prank of any kind"

Hiccup shrugged "I'm only saying. Just be careful around him"

Merida's eyebrow rose "Why do you care?"

Hiccup stammered, "I-I don't…I-I'm only giving you fair warning. Don't come crying to me when something goes wrong".

They passed a faded sign that gave them some kind of warning but the words were faded, making it impossible to read.

Once they reached front door, Merida knocked on the door.

The two heard some voices and clatter. After the clatter subsided, the door swung open revealing a large green skinned ogre.

The ogre was dressed in a white shirt, a leather vest and plaid pants. He scowled at the two teens and growled, "What do you want?".

Hiccup went ridged and didn't say anything. Merida stammered, "S-sorry, w-we were told to come here"

"By who?" asked the ogre, eyeing the two suspiciously

"Duncan" answered Hiccup, nervously "H-he's an elf, tall, green cloak, green eyes-"

the ogre held up a hand "Ok, I got it".

The ogre leaned against the doorframe "So you two are friends with the elf?" Merida and Hiccup nodded quickly.

The ogre sighed and he stepped aside "Come inside".

Merida entered the home, Hiccup followed and the ogre told Toothless to stay outside. The dragon reluctantly obeyed.

* * *

Once inside, Merida and Hiccup looked around at the ogre's home.

The walls were made of earth and tangled roots poked out from the ceiling.

There was a small curtain covering a doorway leading to another room. There was a fireplace with an armchair made from the skin of animals sitting in front of it.

Off to another part of the home there was a table with several chairs placed around it.

Merida blinked a few times and she rubbed her eyes saying, "Are those?"

"Yeah they are" breathed Hiccup.

The two teens saw a thin ginger colored cat and a donkey sitting at the table playing a game of cards.

The cat wore a black hat with a yellow feather and black leather boots on his hind legs. The donkey just looked like any other donkey.

On the table in between the two was a large stack of gold coins.

The cat stroked his wiskers and asked the donkey in a deep, male voice hinted with a Spanish accent "Do you have any threes?"

The donkey scowled and nodded. The donkey picked up a card with his teeth and tossed it to the cat, the cat caught the card. He chuckled and placed a pair of threes on the table next to several pairs of cards.

The cat scooped some of the coins towards him saying, "I'm on fire" "Beginners luck" mumbled the donkey.

The Ogre walked in and asked, "So who's winning?" "I am" answered the cat.

The cat and the donkey glanced over and they saw Merida and Hiccup staring at them "Oh, who are they?" asked the cat

"They're friends of Duncan" said the ogre.

The donkey smiled at the two teens "I didn't know we could have guests over"

"I didn't invite them" said the ogre "Duncan told them to come here, for what I don't know".

The cat placed his cards face down on the table, he faced Merida and Hiccup and he took off his hat "May I introduce myself, I am Puss in Boots" he jabbed a paw at the donkey "That's donkey"

"Nice to meet you" said Donkey with a large smile on his face.

Puss pointed at the ogre "And he is Shrek"

"And who are you kids exactly?" asked Shrek scratching his chin, he than nodded at Merida "You look kinda familiar"

"I'm Merida" said Merida

"I'm Hiccup" mumbled Hiccup.

Shrek scratched his chin for a moment then he snapped his fingers "Oh, that's right you were on the posters"

"Posters?" asked Merida.

Shrek reached into his pocket and pulled out a wanted poster. On the poster was a rough sketch of Merida's face and beneath it said in bold black letters "_Wanted" _beneath that was the reward.

Merida's eyes widened and she asked the ogre nervously "You're not going to turn me in are you?"

Shrek shook his head "No. You're just a kid and considering that it was Rumpelstiltskin putting up these posters, I'm sure he has something horrible planned for you"

Merida relaxed a little than asked "You're not going to eat us?"

"No" sighed Shrek "I won't. I don't eat kids".

Shrek went to the table and he sat down in one of the chairs. He motioned to the other chairs "Come on, sit down" Merida and Hiccup complied.

The two sat down together across from Shrek.

Donkey and Puss continued their game.

* * *

As Puss and Donkey played, Shrek asked "So, Merida where are you from?"

"Scotland" answered Merida.

Shrek nodded "Nice place" he turned to Hiccup "And what about you, Hiccup?"

"Berk" said Hiccup, quietly.

Shrek frowned "Haven't been there but I heard that they have great fishing" "Si, they do" said Puss as he drew a card from the deck.

Hiccup looked to the ginger cat "You've been to Berk?"

"Si, years ago" said Puss "I stowed away on one of the Viking's ships and spent a weekend there. Nice fish and great trees"

"Was that before or after that thing with the goose in San Ricardo?" asked Donkey

"After" answered Puss.

Merida's darted between Donkey and Puss. She asked "How are you both talking?"

the two shrugged and answered "We've been like this since the day we were born".

Puss had won the card game and he scooped the large pile of gold coins toward him.

As the cat counted his coins, Shrek asked, "What are you two doing here and why dose Rumpelstiltskin want you so much?"

Merida repeated what Duncan told her and Hiccup than she gave a quick explanation of how she made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin.

Shrek, Puss and Donkey stared at her in surprise. Once she was finished, Shrek frowned "Look, I wish I can help you but I'm not sure if I can"

"Why not?" asked Merida.

Shrek gave her a quick and vague explanation that he once made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin. He explained that even though he managed to break the deal before it was too late, he couldn't remember how he did it "I think that the magic sort of erased that part of my memories" said Shrek "There are still parts of it I still don't remember".

Merida sighed "Oh". She started to feel a sense of hopelessness but suddenly Donkey held up a hoof "Do you have the contract Rumpelstiltskin gave you?"

Merida nodded. Donkey asked her if he could see it.

She handed the contract to Donkey asking "Why?"

"I hung out with this one witch who knew all about magic contracts" said Donkey.

Donkey placed the contract on the table and he began folding the parchment up. Merida, Hiccup, Shrek and Puss watched as the contract slowly take on another form.

The elegant capital letters began to slide together and finally Donkey looked up at the four of them saying "There!"

Merida scooped up the contract and saw that it was in the shape of a paper heart.

Along the edges of the heart was small elegant writing that she had never seen on the contract before.

Merida read aloud the small writing "The escape clause?"

"Yeah, if the signer is unsatisfied with the deal they made, they could just use the escape clause" explained Donkey "Back in the day people would only have to guess Rumpelstiltskin's name but he changed that because everyone knows who he is and kept guessing right"

"You mean I can use this to fix everything?" asked Merida, feeling a glimmer of hope.

Donkey nodded "Yeah, sure".

Merida smiled. She could fix everything, her parents and brothers won't be dead and everything will be back to the way they should be.

Shrek held up a hand "Uh, before you get too excited, I suggest you read the entire thing".

Merida nodded and she read aloud "_If the signer is unsatisfied with the deal, said person will have two weeks to render the contract null in void with…"_ Merida flipped the paper heart over to the other side.

Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach and she finished reading "_True Love's Kiss, before midnight on the last day of the second week_".

Merida dropped the heart on the table and she sank back into her chair.

The five of them sat in silence around the table. After a few moments of silence, Shrek clapped his hands together saying, "Ok, who wants lunch?"

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin paced back and forth in the great hall on Berk.

He chewed on his lip and was muttering something under his breath.

Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Snotlout watched as the dwarf pacing. Snotlout yawned, "Why are waiting again?"

"Rumpelstiltskin told us to wait" said Astrid "Apparently he's hired some bounty hunters to help us find Hiccup".

The doors to the great hall opened and a witch poked her head inside saying "Mr. Stiltskin, he's here"

"Good, show him in!" said the dwarf, sounding a little relieved.

One of the doors swung open a little more and a single figure entered the hall.

The dwarf and the Vikings saw that it was a man. The man was dressed in fine black clothes, a cap with a black feather in it and he was playing a gentle melody on a silver flute.

He was carried into the great hall on the backs of a hundred rats. Once he was a few feet away from Rumpelstiltskin and the Vikings, he hopped off the rats and he played a few notes on his flute.

Rumpelstiltskin smiled "Thank you for coming on short notice".

Ruffnut laughed "This guy is a bounty hunter! Ha, ha" Snotlout and Tuffnut joined in the laughter.

Astrid frowned in confusion. Rumpelstiltskin was a powerful practitioner of magic with vast wealth, why would he hire a man with a flute to hunt down anyone; the man wouldn't be very effective.

The piper glanced to Rumpelstiltskin and the dwarf nodded.

The piper twisted a small section of the flute. There was a click, the piper brought the flute to his lips and played an upbeat tune.

All of a sudden Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout and Astrid started to dance.

They waltzed around the hall to the Piper's tune.

Rumpelstiltskin laughed while they tried in vain to stop dancing.

After a few minutes, Rumpelstiltskin had enough. He snapped his fingers and the Piper stopped.

The teens all sighed in relief and Tuffnut muttered to the others "Remind me not to make him mad".

Snotlout asked in between breaths "So…where's this other bounty hunter?"

Suddenly the great hall's doors burst open and a man strode in. The man was tall, he had long silver hair that reached his shoulders.

His skin was white as chalk; he had a large jagged scar on his face and yellow eyes with slits for pupils. He wore a white shirt, a leather vest, leather boots and a grey bearskin cloak was draped over his shoulders.

Dangling at his side was a silver crossbow and strapped to his back was a sharp ax.

Overall the man was very intimidating and he wasn't the kind of person anyone would want to cross.

He regarded the Vikings coldly and he looked down at the dwarf "Rumpelstiltskin?" asked the man.

The dwarf smiled "That's me. Thank you for coming on such short notice".

The Huntsman growled, "As long as I get what you promised, I'll do what you want".

Rumpelstiltskin nodded "Yep, sure whatever the amount you want".

The Huntsman smiled "Good. Now what is it you want us to do?"

the dwarf looked to the Piper than the Huntsman saying "I want you to assist these Vikings in retrieving one of their own" he smiled "And as for the kidnapper, dispose of her".

The Huntsman and the Piper glanced at each other than they both nodded "Deal" said the Huntsman.

Rumpelstiltskin turned to the Vikings saying "To sweeten the pot, I'm willing to give your friends back, If you get rid of that girl. Plus a few sacks of gold".

The Vikings all looked at each other in surprise than Astrid said firmly "Consider it done".

End of Chapter.

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**(a/n: Well what do you think? Review and all that)**


	6. Ch 6: The Final Option

**(a/n: Here's a new chapter, featuring Jack Frost, Arthur from Shrek 3 and other characters. Sorry if this one is short. Please Review!)**

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Ch.6: The Final Option

The sun had started to sink beyond the horizon and the sky's color slowly changed to a deep shade of orange.

Merida was still sitting at the table staring at the paper heart blankly. She had just learned that the only way to break the contract was true love's kiss.

Merida found it completely absurd. How would a kiss break a magical contract? She didn't have a 'true love' and she didn't have much time to find one.

Shrek, Donkey, Puss, Hiccup and herself ate lunch, traded stories and joked as they waited for Duncan to arrive.

After several hours of waiting, they heard voices coming from outside "-ok now slowly, I said slowly!" yelled one voice

"Alright! You don't have to yell" said another voice.

The five of them exited Shrek's home to see what was going on.

Against the orange colored sky, Merida saw two shapes flying towards them.

The first was dressed in green while the other was clad in blue and white.

Once they landed Merida got a better look at who it was. She saw that it was Duncan and the second was a young man her age with white hair, white skin and icy blue eyes.

The white haired teen wore flowing dark blue robes that reached down to his ankles. His robes had glittering white snowflake patterns along the edges. In his hand was a tall, crooked staff of wood. Merida noticed that he didn't wear anything on his feet.

Duncan brushed dust and dirt off his cloak "Remind me to never fly with you again, ever!"

"Right, sorry" apologized the white haired teen "I was only trying to help".

Shrek smiled "Nice of you to finally stop by you two"

"Hi Shrek" said Duncan and the white haired teen.

The elf glanced to Merida "So, did I miss anything?"

Puss explained what happened from Merida and Hiccup's arrival right down to Merida finding out about the escape clause and its requirement.

Duncan winced "that's rough" the white haired teen nodded "Yeah, those contracts sure are tricky"

"Who are you?" asked Hiccup.

The teenager looked at Hiccup and he introduced himself "My name is Jack Frost, I am the spirit of winter"

"Huh?" said Merida and Hiccup at the same time. "He makes it snow" Duncan briefly explained.

Jack leaned against his staff "So…What are your names?" nodding to Merida and Hiccup.

The two introduced themselves and Jack giggled at Hiccup's name. The Viking glared at the winter spirit and just grumbled something under his breath. After Jack stopped giggling, they all heard something approaching.

The seven of them all looked towards the sound and they saw a carriage approach. The carriage was pulled by a team of horses and was escorted by several knights on horseback.

Once the carriage came to a stop, the doors opened and a red haired ogre climbed out, carrying three ogre infants.

Following the red haired ogre was a blond teenager dressed in royal attire with a sword at his side and a golden crown atop his head.

From his crown and the carriage with the knights, Merida could easily tell that blond was royalty.

Shrek's smile widened "Fiona!" he went over and hugged her. She hugged him back and the infants hugged Shrek.

Shrek turned to the blond royal "Artie, good to see you"

"Shrek, great to see you too" said the royal, hugging him.

Merida frowned in confusion and asked Puss who they were. Puss whispered to her "That is his wife Fiona and his niño's"

Puss nodded to the blond saying "and that is Fiona's cousin, Arthur Pendragon, King of Far Far Away".

Merida's eyes widened in surprise "Her cousin? But he's human" "It's a long story" said Donkey "Remind us to tell it to you later".

Fiona noticed Jack, Duncan, Merida and Hiccup "Uh, Shrek what's going on?"

"We'll explain in a bit" said Shrek "First lets get inside".

* * *

Once everybody gathered inside the small home by the fireplace, Shrek had Merida explain to everybody why she was there.

Arthur, Fiona and Jack listened to Merida's story intently. Once the red haired princess finished her story, the three newcomers gave Merida sympathetic looks.

Fiona was the first to speak "That's horrible, Merida"

"Yeah, talk about a waking nightmare" said Jack as he created a miniature ice sculpture of an ogre with a club in the palm of his hand and he handed it to one of the ogre children.

Arthur frowned and said, "That is quite a story Merida and I assume that you know about the escape clause"

Merida nodded and said glumly "True loves kiss in two weeks. How is a kiss supposed to break the contract?"

Jack laid his staff across his lap and rubbed his chin "I think it has something to do with true love being one of the most powerful forms of magic ever to be found"

"That's exactly it" said Duncan.

Merida scowled "I don't have a true love, what then?"

"Than you might as well make yourself comfortable princess" said Jack, nonchalantly.

Merida shook her head "No, This isn't what I want. I just want to break this contract and fix everything" she looked to everyone and pleaded "Please, is there anything I can do?"

Shrek and Arthur shrugged, Donkey and Puss shook their heads, and Duncan, Jack, Hiccup and Fiona all wracked their brains for an answer.

Finally Jack spoke "Well I think there are some…other options"

"really?" asked Merida, hopefully.

The winter spirit nodded hesitantly "Well the first option is that you make another deal with Rumpelstiltskin"

"Which would never happen in a million years" said Duncan "He would kill you before you could ask"

Jack nodded "Right".

Merida gulped and asked "What are the other options?"

"A love potion" said Jack.

Everybody, except Merida and Hiccup, looked at Jack in shock. The winter spirit held up his hands defensively "I'm just putting the option out there"

"You have any idea how difficult it is to create a love potion" said Duncan

"Hard, I guess?" said Jack, meekly

"Impossibly hard" said the elf "Especially now that Rumpelstiltskin had wiped out his competitors and destroyed all potion makers".

Jack shook his head "Not all of them. There is one who escaped the purge"

Duncan frowned, "Who is it?"

"…Blind Meg" said Jack ominously.

Duncan's eyes widened in horror, everyone gasped and the entire room erupted into random chatter.

Merida and Hiccup looked at each other in confusion and Merida said aloud "Who's Blind Meg?"

"Only the most feared witch in the world" answered Donkey, trembling a little

"They say that she is so powerful and so terrifying that even Rumpelstiltskin fears her" said Puss.

Duncan said quietly "It would be suicide to enter her garden without an invitation" "Why would you suggest that?" asked Shrek.

Jack held up his hands "I was only listing our options, I didn't say that we had to go see her". Merida shivered. Based on everyone's reactions, Blind Meg sounded like a very terrifying person.

Merida cleared her throat and the room went silent.

Merida asked Jack "Are there any other options?"

Jack nodded slowly "Well you have one last option" everyone looked at Jack and he said bluntly "You fall in love the traditional, old fashion way and break the contract then".

Merida pondered her options for a few moments and then said, "I'm going to see Blind Meg, tomorrow morning".

* * *

Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Snotlout trailed behind the Piper and the Huntsman as they followed a dirt road. High in the starry night sky was a pale, sliver of moon. The large, silver haired man walked up the trail sniffing the air and his eyes scanned his surroundings vigilantly.

The hunting party departed Berk before dawn and sailed till they reached land, far to the southeast.

For a better part of the day, they followed the Huntsman across wide fields of green, through cool forests and across a raging river.

Snotlout and Tuffnut complained loudly a few times but they were silenced when the Huntsman shot them a deadly glare with his yellow eyes.

Astrid had to admit, she feared the Huntsman more than the Piper. The Piper's abilities kept Astrid on her toes but around the Huntsman, she had to constantly keep her guard up.

The Huntsman held up a hand and the group came to a halt. He glanced back at his companions and said, "We'll stop here for the night, we move out in the morning"

The Piper played a few quick notes on his flute and the Huntsman nodded "Yes, I'll be paying for it".

The Viking teens all looked past the Huntsman and saw a small town in the distance.

As they got closer to the town, they saw that all the buildings were made of stone. The streets were made of cobblestone and in the center of the town was a large stone fountain. The Huntsman led the group to a small two-story Inn that had a wooden sign with a golden sun painted on it.

Surprisingly, the inside of the Inn was spacious enough to accommodate a large number of people. At the far side of the Inn was a bar where several men laid unconscious in their seats. The smell of ale, meat and other sorts of odors invaded the nostrils of everyone in the group.

At the bar, a middle aged dark haired woman in maroon was wiping up spilt ale with a rag. She looked up and noticed the newcomers "Need a room?"

"Three, one for myself, one for my associate and one for the kids" said The Huntsman.

The woman smiled "You're just in luck, we have three vacancies" she tossed aside the rag and she led the group up the stairs.

* * *

When they got upstairs, the woman lead the group down a corridor, past a girl with braided blond hair as she scrubbed the floor and showed them to their rooms.

The woman directed the Huntsman and the Piper to a pair of rooms at the end of the corridor.

The woman pointed the Viking teens to a room right next to the Piper's.

Before she left she said to the Huntsman "If you need anything, just call my daughter" she nodded to the girl who was scrubbing the floor "Or myself".

"I didn't catch your names" said the Huntsman "My name's Gothel" said the woman, smiling flirtatiously.

Gothel nodded to her daughter "And that's Rapunzel"

End of Chapter.

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**(a/n: well what do you think? Anyway, please review and i'm putting up a poll as to who Merida will end up with who? so if you want your favorite pairing to win, vote in my poll. Anyway, till next time, See ya!)**


	7. Ch 7: The Tale of Victor Frankenstein

**(a/n: Enjoy! also thank you for voting in the poll. To make things interesting, i'm going to make the pairing a sort of love triangle where Merida would have to choose either Jack or Hiccup but at the end, one will be decided and all that. Please review!)**

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Ch.7: The Tale of Victor Frankenstein

Merida laid awake wide-awake on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

Once night had fallen, everyone started catching up on current events. As they talked, Shrek and the others dismissed Merida's idea of going to see Blind Meg.

Merida tried to convince them to let her go to see her but they all quickly shot down her idea.

They all continued socializing and as time went on, they eventually went to sleep.

Fiona and her children slept in the bedroom with Shrek, Puss and Donkey slept in the main room near the fireplace.

Arthur slept in his carriage outside while Jack had slipped outside during the conversations and hasn't returned since.

Before he went to bed, Shrek gave Merida and Hiccup some blankets and pillows. The ogre told them that they could sleep in the spare room. The spare room was small and it had only one bed.

Hiccup volunteered to sleep on the floor. Merida crawled into bed and tried to sleep but she remained awake.

As she lay in bed, she heard the sounds of snoring and murmuring drifting through the silent home.

After a few hours of consideration, Merida decided that she would go see the witch herself. She glanced down at the floor and she saw that Hiccup was fast asleep.

Silently, Merida pushed the blanket off of herself and she stealthily climbed out of bed.

Carefully, she tiptoed out of the room and quietly felt her way through the darkness towards the front door.

Merida's hand brushed against a door handle and she quietly opened it.

She slipped outside and she started to walk away from the small home. "Going somewhere?" asked a voice.

Merida jumped and she spun around to see Jack sitting on the roof of Shrek's home.

He hopped off the roof and gently landed in front of Merida "Now, where might you be going at this late hour?" "I'm going to see Blind Meg" said Merida flatly.

Jack's eyebrows rose "You're serious?" Merida nodded.

The spirit of winter shook his head "I wouldn't recommend that. It would be suicide"

"Why?" asked Merida.

Jack leaned against his staff "Well, for starters Blind Meg hates having uninvited guests showing up at her front door. Usually, they get turned to stone… if they are lucky".

Merida gulped and Jack continued "She also enjoys her solitude, in her lonely little cottage in the mountains".

Jack cocked an eyebrow "How do you plan on finding her anyway?"

Merida froze, she didn't really think about that. Merida sighed, "I got to try something, if she can give me a love potion then I can fix everything".

Jack stared at her with his icy blue eyes. He stared at her for a few moments then sighed, "I'm so going to regret this"

Merida smiled a little "You're going to let me go?" "Even better" said Jack "I'll lead you to Blind Meg myself".

Merida's smile widened "Thank you".

The two turned to leave but they heard a voice say, "I'm coming too".

They turned and saw Hiccup standing there. Merida's eyebrows rose "Hiccup?"

"I got nothing better to do" said Hiccup "I got nowhere to go and from the sound of things, this might be quite a dangerous adventure. I want in"

Merida smiled "Ok".

The three strolled away from the ogre's home silently, trying not to awake the knights that guarded Arthur's carriage. Hiccup and Merida mounted Toothless and took off, quickly ascending into the sky.

Jack glided along side Hiccup and Merida, motioning for them to follow.

The three started off away from the swamp silently with only the moon and the stars to light the way.

* * *

A soft, grey dawn came. The sky was filled with heavy grey clouds and a chilly wind blew through Merida and Hiccup.

The two shivered while Jack just let the cold wash over him, letting his hair and robes to whip around freely in the wind.

Merida, Hiccup and Jack managed to reach a great distance by sunrise.

They left the dense forest behind and were now soaring up past a step mountain, following a long narrow path down below.

The path snaked its way up a steep up, higher and higher into the mountains. Slowly as the three flew up higher into the mountains, the sky slowly grew darker with storm clouds. Thunder rumbled and the wind grew harsher.

Hiccup shivered a little and he glanced at Jack who just seemed to enjoy the cold "Why aren't you cold?" asked Hiccup.

Jack smiled "I'm the spirit of winter, I like it cold".

A flash of lighting and a crash of thunder caused Hiccup and Merida to jump.

Jack glanced back at the two and laughed "Come on, its just a bit of thunder and lightning" he turned and continued on.

Hiccup muttered to Merida "Easy for him to say"

Merida nodded in agreement.

After another few minutes of flying, the path below split into two. One continued forward and upwards into the mountains, while the other veered another direction.

Jack motioned Hiccup and Merida to follow "This way" he glided off towards the east, following the one that veered off into another direction. Hiccup nudged Toothless and the dragon turned, following after Jack.

They followed Jack for another few minutes when suddenly icy rain began to fall. Hiccup and Merida tried to shield themselves from the cold rain but Jack continued on unaffected.

The rain began to fall even harder and the wind howled loudly in their ears. Merida almost slipped out of the saddle a few times but she managed to stay on by putting her arms around Hiccup. Thunder crashed and lightning tore across the sky.

Hiccup screamed at Jack over the loud howling winds and crashes of thunder "We need to find shelter!" "We're almost there!" Jack shouted back as another crash of thunder sounded. After another few yards Jack yelled, "Lets go!" he angled himself and quickly shot down to earth.

Jack quickly led his companions down from the cloudy sky back to earth.

They soared over a wooden archway and he guided them to a small clearing. Merida was able to make out the shape of a wooden cottage through the torrential downpour.

Hiccup, Jack and Merida hurried into the cottage. Jack slammed the door shut and the three of them took deep breaths. The three teens were soaked to the bone in cold rainwater.

Hiccup shivered "Cold, so cold"

"Nothing like a pleasant spring rain up at this altitude" said Jack casually "It really clears up the sinuses".

Merida inspected the inside of the cottage and saw that it had little. It only had a single bed, a small hearth, and a table with a candle on it and some chairs. Merida spoke aloud "What is this place?"

"This place belongs to a mountain man I know" said Jack as he rested his staff against his shoulder.

The white haired teenager sat down in one of the chairs by the table "Now all we do is wait out till the rain stops"

"Which could be hours" said Hiccup

"Exactly" said Jack nodding. Merida and Hiccup sat down by Jack and they began their long wait.

* * *

Hours ago at the _Morning Side Inn_, The Huntsman and The Piper awoke the Viking teens bright and eartly.

The Huntsman gave Gothel a small pouch of gold coins for the rooms.

As they left, Gothel said sweetly to the Huntsman "Come back anytime".

After they had traveled at least several miles away from the small village, the Huntsman told the group to stop.

He ordered everyone to take cover. Everyone hid behind some trees and bushes that were near by and waited. They waited for several minutes when a short figure dressed in a tattered brown traveling cloak cautiously stepped into view.

The Huntsman slipped out from his hiding place and he carefully drew his crossbow. He nocked an arrow and he leveled the crossbow at the figure "Stop"

The figure in brown froze and the Huntsman growled, "Turn, slowly".

The figure turned and the Huntsman pulled back the hood and saw that it was the girl from the Inn. The Huntsman frowned "What are you doing here?"

"Please don't be mad" said Rapunzel "I only wanted to come with you"

The Huntsman rolled his eyes and he lowered his crossbow. The Vikings and the Piper emerged from their hiding spots and they all gave Rapunzel suspicious looks.

Rapunzel pleaded, "Please, let me accompany you" "Go home kid" grunted the Huntsman

"N-no" stammered Rapunzel "I don't want to go back to that horrible woman"

"She is your mother" said the Huntsman calmly "When she discovers that you are gone, she's going to be worried sick about you"

Rapunzel muttered "I doubt it".

The Piper and the Vikings looked at the girl in shock. They were surprised that she was arguing with a man who probably wouldn't hesitate to slit their throats. None of them moved or said anything. The Vikings and the Piper waited to see how it all played out.

The Huntsman's yellow eyes bore into the small girl's green eyes. She shrunk back a little but she didn't move.

The Huntsman's grip on his crossbow tightened.

Eventually the Huntsman sighed deeply and growled, "Fine. Just stay out of my way" he pushed past her and stomped away down the road.

Rapunzel's features brightened and she followed after him. The Vikings looked at each other in surprise and hurried after him.

As the group continued down the road, Astrid noticed that the Piper was watching Rapunzel closely. She frowned and shook her head, clearing her mind. Astrid focused on the red haired girl who took Hiccup and planned on how she will deal with her.

As they journeyed on, they stopped a few times to rest.

As they stopped to rest in the middle of a wide open field, Snotlout grumbled "This sucks"

"Yeah" said Ruffnut

"Well if we want to get Hiccup back and get all that gold Rumpelstiltskin promised, we suck it up and keep going" growled Astrid.

"How much longer?" whined Snotlout

"Soon" said The Huntsman as he looked up at the sky.

The Vikings looked at the Huntsman and he pointed to the sky above. The Vikings looked up and saw a small black shape against the vast, grey sky.

Astrid squinted "Is that Toothless?"

"Yeah, it looks like it" said Tuffnut.

The Huntsman jumped to his feet "Let's go or else we'll lose the trail". He took off running, The Piper sprinted after him and the Vikings hurried to catch up with them.

* * *

Presently, Merida, Jack and Hiccup sat around the small table waiting for the rain to stop.

A few hours have already passed and the rain didn't show any signs of slowing down.

Jack drummed his hands on the tabletop humming softly, Merida tried to dry her hair and Hiccup tried to light a fire in the hearth. The door opened and a tall, slim figure dressed in a heavy coat stumbled into the cottage.

The three got to their feet; the figure jumped in surprise "What are you doing in my home?" asked the figure, his voice was male and soft.

Jack held up a hand "We only needed shelter from the rain"

The figure turned his head to Jack "Jack?" the man struck a match and he lit a candle that was on the table.

Merida saw that the man looked young. He was younger than Merida's mother but he looked years older than Merida. She guessed that he was probably in his late twenties.

He had short raven hair, dark eyes, thin lips and a gaunt face. The man glanced at Hiccup and Merida "Your friends?"

Jack nodded.

The man smiled a little "Welcome to my humble home" he extended a hand and shook hands with Merida and Hiccup.

The man went to the logs in the hearth and set them ablaze. The man shed his coat, revealing a tattered brown suit. He hung his coat on a small hook on the wall.

He pulled up a seat next to Jack "So, what brings you three to my home?"

Jack gave a brief summary of how they ended up in the man's cottage. He explained that they were in the middle of a journey and the rain forced them to find shelter.

Jack nodded to Merida "That's Merida" he pointed to Hiccup "And that's Hiccup".

The man smiled warmly "Intriguing names"

He placed a hand on his chest "My name is Victor Frankenstein, but you can call me Victor".

Merida's eyes narrowed "Frankenstein? That's an odd name"

Victor chuckled "Yes, I suppose it is odd to you, but in my country it is the name of one of the noblest families to have ever lived". Lighting quickly illuminated the interior of the cottage and thunder rumbled.

Victor's eyes gleamed a little in the faint, orange light of the fire "Forgive me if I am repeating myself, but what brings you up to my cottage"

"We are heading off to see a witch" said Jack.

Victor's eyes widened a little "Oh, you mean Blind Meg?"

Jack nodded "Yup" "Do you know her?" asked Merida.

Victor shook his head "Not as well as I care to admit. I provided her sanctuary in my home a few years ago but I haven't been in touch with her since".

Victor's fingers interlocked and he placed his hands on the table "Tell me, what on earth would a couple of teenagers want with a witch?"

Merida quickly explained the contract with Rumpelstiltskin and she kept out a few details of how she acquired it. She concluded her explanations with the escape clause and the love potion.

Victor frowned a little "Love huh?" he sighed, "If I were you, I would give up this foolish endeavor"

"Why?" asked Merida.

Victor's features grew dark and he said in a hollow voice "Love won't fix your troubles. But if it dose, it will only bring you pain" the corner of his lip twitched and his lips formed a frown "Nothing but pain".

Merida's eyes narrowed "How would it bring me pain?"

Victor said nothing. He looked at the small crackling fire in the hearth and said blankly "Tell me, Merida. What is the most common cause of death in this world?"

Merida didn't answer. Her mouth opened and closed without another word.

Victor's dark eyes glanced to Merida "Let me give you a hint. It is more infectious than any illness, it can make your day but it can destroy your life. It can be a powerful motivator but it can also be deadly weakness"

Merida shook her head "I-I don't know" "It's love," answered Victor.

Hiccup frowned "I don't think love is the most common cause of death"

"True" said Victor, nodding a little "But here's a bit of knowledge for you. Love can cause wars; it causes people to go mad and slay others in its name. Love can raise you up to the highest altitudes then drops you back to earth. It can fill you up until suddenly it leaves you a withered, useless husk!".

Victor blinked and he noticed that he was standing. He slicked back his hair and he sat back down. Hiccup and Merida stared at Victor warily.

After a moment of quiet, Merida said softly "You sound like you had some experience with love".

Victor nodded "Yes, once. I was once in love with a wonderful wonderful" he reached into his suit pocket and withdrew a small golden locket. He opened it, revealing a small painted portrait of a woman with raven hair, pale skin and light colored eyes.

Victor sighed deeply "Elsa was her name. We were engaged but she died a month before the wedding, when I was away on business."

He shook his head "I should've been there"

"It's not your fault" said Jack "You didn't know that she would be sick"

"If I was there, I could've saved her" mumbled Victor "I am a Doctor after all…but than again, helping that sick dwarf was just as important".

Victor sighed again "I loved her so much and when she had died I…I went out of my mind" he shook his head "For months I was mad, I did everything I could to bring her back. I even turned to the darkest forms of magic I could find but even magic couldn't bring back the dead. When all else failed, I turned to the one thing I was sure that could bring her back."

"What?" asked Hiccup

"Science" said Victor "I…I did the most horrid things. I spent day and night experimenting. I would shut myself away in my lab for days. As my experiments dragged on became more perverse, my childhood friend tried to talk me out of it but I dismissed his concerns and I swore to him that I was going to make things right. The days turned into months, until finally I found what I had been looking for".

The rain outside intensified and thunder boomed. Victor rubbed his temples "I stole her body from her crypt and I did what I could to patch her up. Finally, one stormy night I had done it. I brought her back".

Hiccup, Merida and Jack gasped.

Hiccup stammered "T-that's impossible, you can't bring back the dead"

"What happened?" asked Merida.

Victor shook his head and muttered, "I brought her back and…everything went wrong. She wasn't the woman I loved. Elsa was different. She was cold and felt wrong but I didn't see it. I was so overjoyed that I didn't see what I had done" he buried his face in his hands "At first I thought she was only over coming the effects of the procedure but eventually I discovered that she became violent and very unstable."

Victor concluded his tale saying, "To make a long story short, I had to end her life before she ended another's. After that I was driven out of my country and was forced to live in exile".

The three teenagers sat there and stared at Victor in shock. Hiccup spoke up "N-not that this wasn't interesting, why are you telling us this?"

Victor cleared his throat and said, "The point of my tale is simple. Love is a very dangerous thing. It is powerful and deadly like a disease".

He glanced to Merida "When you break that contract, you will get what you wanted but you will also lose something that you had. Something very dear to you"

"What?" asked Merida anxiously "What will I lose?"

Victor opened his mouth to answer but suddenly a loud pounding on the door drew his attention away from her. Everyone's eyes went to the door and they heard another series of loud knocks on the door.

Victor frowned and rose to his feet "Who could that be?" he went to the door and he opened it.

Standing in the doorway was a massive figure in grey fur. A flash of lightning briefly illuminated his features.

It was a man with long grey hair, yellow eyes and a dark scowl on his face.

He noticed Merida and Hiccup sitting at the table. The man grinned broadly, revealing a set of canine teeth "Good evening children".

End of Chapter

* * *

**(a/n: well what do you think? Sorry if this was really crappy. Also, if anyone is wondering, this Victor is sort of a fusion of Victor from the original 'Frankenstein' story and Victor from 'Frankenweenie' although i took some liberties with it. Please review!)**


	8. Ch 8: Flight

**(a/n: Here you go a new chapter. Sorry for it being short and all. Please review!)**

* * *

Ch. 8: Flight

The man in the doorway grinned at Merida, Jack and Hiccup "Hello children"

"Who are you?" asked Victor, eyeing the man suspiciously. The man had long silver hair, yellow eyes and sharp canine like teeth. On his shoulders was a large, silver fur cloak.

Merida's skin crawled at the sight of the man. He looked like a rabid wolf who had just crawled out of a river looking for its next meal.

The man glanced at the former doctor "Nothing of your concern sir. I'm just a bounty hunter, here to apprehend some dangerous fugitives".

Victor turned and he looked at the three teens in surprise "Fugitives?"

"Indeed" said the man "Wanted by Rumplestiltskin himself" he leveled a finger at Merida "Especially her"

Victor frowned "May I ask about what she has done?"

The man scowled at Victor "Like i said, its none of your concern. now stand aside"

"Alright than" said Victor nodding.

With that, Victor slammed the door shut and locked it.

The former doctor turned to the three teenagers and said, "You might want to leave now!" suddenly there was a loud crash and a large silver ax blade cut through the door, missing Victor's head by a few inches.

Victor looked at the blade with an annoyed look and muttered, "I had just finished fixing this door".

Merida, Jack and Hiccup jumped to their feet and quickly made their way to the back of the cottage.

Jack climbed out through the window, Hiccup scrambled over the side and Merida started to climb out but she paused. She glanced back at Victor who was holding the door up as the man with the ax continued hacking away at the door.

Victor waved her on saying, "Go, I'll be fine"

"But you'll be killed" said Merida, feeling concerned for the former doctor.

Victor smiled as if she had told him an amusing joke and said "Oh if only… if only" the door rattled some more and there was a shout of annoyance "Open up!"

Merida reluctantly obeyed Victor's wishes and crawled out of the window.

* * *

As she ran through the cold rain, she heard the door crash and some shouting coming from inside the cottage.

Merida spotted Hiccup and Toothless a few yards ahead of her. The wind howled in her ears and cold rain pelted her as she sprinted towards the dragon.

She heard a voice shout, "There they go!"

Merida didn't look back but she recognized that voice. It sounded like Astrid. Something whizzed over her head and embedded itself in the ground a few feet away.

She raced past the object and saw a large dagger. Merida scrambled up onto Toothless and the instant she was on, the dragon took off in the dark grey sky.

Merida glanced back down to earth as they climbed higher and higher.

She saw several figures running out of Victor's cottage and watched them fly. Merida spotted Jack flying up after them. He grinned "Well that was fun"

"Lets not do that again" said Hiccup.

* * *

Down below, Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and the Piper watched as Toothless soar higher into the thick grey clouds.

Astrid cursed and said "We'll never catch them now"

"I don't think so" said the Huntsman, who marched out of the cottage.

He drew his crossbow and he took aim. The Huntsman mumbled something to himself as he scanned the sky. He spotted his targets. They were slowly ascending to a high enough altitude to hide among the clouds.

The Huntsman grinned saying "Goodnight children" then he pulled the trigger and the bolt went flying.

The bolt rocketed into the sky and it vanished from sight.

Astrid, the Viking teens and the Piper all scanned the skies for any sign of the bolt but saw nothing but thick rain clouds.

Snotlout turned to the Huntsman "Uh, no offense but you're a terrible shot"

The Huntsman glanced at the young Viking and said coldly "I never miss".

Everyone, except the Piper looked at the hunter in confusion but they all looked towards the tall, thin man who stood there with them staring up at the clouds.

The Piper trilled on his flute and The Huntsman glanced at the man.

Ruffnut spoke up "What did he say?" "What do we do with him" translated the Huntsman.

The Huntsman grabbed the thin man by the lapels of his tattered suit and held him up to his eye level.

"Tell me now Victor, Where are they going?" demanded The Huntsman.

The man named Victor quirked an eyebrow "Who?"

"Those kids" growled the hunter.

Victor blinked then nodded "Oh them, right well they're heading towards the blind witch"

The Huntsman's eyes widened a little "Blind Meg?" the former doctor nodded "Yep". The Huntsman let Victor go and Victor adjusted his collar.

Astrid saw the look on the Huntsman's face and saw that it was filled with anger. Rapunzel, who was standing in the doorway, asked aloud "Who's Blind Meg?"

Nobody answered. Victor spoke up "She's one of the most powerful witches in the world, if not _the _most powerful"

The Huntsman chimed in "She moves from place to place and entrusts her location to a chosen few" he glanced up at the sky "If we don't go now, we'll be too late" he turned and began marching towards a nearby dirt path.

He grabbed Victor by the arm and dragged him along, growling, "You know the way, you're coming with us"

"Oh joy!" said the former doctor enthusiastically. The rest of the group hurried after the two.

* * *

In the sky, Jack, Hiccup and Merida flew below the clouds. After they had managed to escape and hide among the clouds, they continued on their course towards the east till they decided that it was safe enough to drop out of cloud cover.

As they continued east, Merida's mind was focused on Victor.

The former doctor had stayed behind to allow them to escape. She felt her stomach sink as she pictured all the horrible things that the silver haired man might do to him.

Hiccup glanced back at Merida and noticed that she looked rather uncomfortable "Are you ok?"

She nodded a little "Yes…it's just, Victor-" "Don't worry about him" interrupted Jack.

He glided along side Merida "He'll be fine" "How do you know?" asked Merida.

Jack smiled a little "Lets just say that Victor has a reputation that would deter even the foulest creatures Rumpelstiltskin has in his employ".

Merida was going to ask the winter spirit what he meant but suddenly they heard a whizzing sound and a thud.

Toothless let out a pained scream. He quickly tilted downwards and began hurtling towards the earth. Hiccup tried to keep control but Toothless continued his descent.

The wind roared in Merida's ears and she could barely hear Hiccup scream "Hang on!".

Quickly, the vast green landscape below grew closer and closer. Her heart jumped into her throat and everything became a blur. Hiccup trying to slow their descent but failing, Jack shouting something and trying to keep up. Before she knew it, they crashed through a thick canopy of trees and everything went black.

* * *

A wagon came to a halt in front of the wreckage. Two hooded figures hopped off the front and approached the scene.

They saw a large, black dragon with emerald eyes lying on the ground with a crossbow bolt embedded in its ribs, probably near its heart. Sprawled beside it was a brown haired boy dressed in brown and green.

Beside him, lying face down was a red haired girl in a fine dress that was torn in places. One of the two glanced at his companion "What do you think?"

"We should help them" said his companion, who was a woman.

The man tired to argue but he sighed and nodded "Right, ok".

The two approached the downed dragon and the unconscious teens. The dragon growled weakly and tried to move but he winced and returned to its stationary position.

The woman held up a hand and said soothingly "It's ok, we're here to help" the dragon snorted in disbelief.

"It's ok, you can trust them" said a familiar voice.

The dragon looked behind the two and saw a pair of familiar faces. One was Jack and the one standing beside him was the elf, Duncan.

Toothless glanced at the two then to the newcomers. Eventually the dragon nodded.

The two hooded figures approached the dragon and the unconscious teenagers to administer first aid.

End of chapter.

* * *

**(a/n: well what do you think? again sorry if this was short but it's what i got for now. Please review!)**


	9. Ch 9: Nightmares & Masquerades

**(a/n: Hello everyone! please enjoy this new, long chapter featuring Pitch from Rise of the Guardians and Hansel and Gretel from 'Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters'. Enjoy and please review!)**

* * *

Ch.9: Nightmares & Masquerades

Rumpelstiltskin paced around his throne room nervously. His shoes clacked loudly on the smooth marble floors.

His goose Fifi watched him trudge back and forth while a pair of servants was tending her.

Suddenly the doors to the massive throne room burst open and Rumpelstiltskin's right hand witch, Baba, sprinted inside.

The dwarf turned to her and asked "Any news?"

"Yes" said the witch "The Huntsman and The Piper have come close to capturing the girl but she escaped".

Rumpelstiltskin stamped his feet snarling "Escaped! How did she escape!?"

The witch gulped and answered, "S-she had help from the Viking boy and that winter spirit" the dwarf scowled and he muttered, "winter spirit?"

"Jack Frost" the witch clarified. Rumpelstiltskin's scowl deepened "Oh right, the little punk I dealt with years ago. Wanted to be able to interact with the plane of the living, all in exchange for his most prized possession."

The dwarf smirked and he reached into his robes then withdrew a small golden locket. He tossed it high into the air than caught it. The dwarf laughed "Stupid boy".

Baba continued on "That's not all sir, they also have captured Victor Frankenstein"

Rumpelstiltskin froze and he glanced at the witch with wide eyes "The mad doctor? Why do they have him?"

Baba answered hesitantly "He…was harboring the girl and the mad man said that they were heading towards…_her"_.

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes widened in horror "No…no, no, no! She'll ruin everything!" he tapped his chin and muttering, "What do I do? What do I do?" suddenly he froze and a smile came to his face "Oh…this is good, this is very good" he turned to Baba "Fetch me my magic mirror and my check book, I have to make a few calls".

Baba saluted and she hurried out of the throne room while the dwarf rubbed his hands together gleefully.

Rumpelstiltskin muttered to nobody "No more playing around Merida, this time, you're mine".

* * *

Darkness was all that Merida could see. She found herself floating in a vast void of darkness with no light. It was black as a starless night and as cold as ice.

Merida shivered and she called out "Hello? Anybody?" her voice echoed for miles and miles.

The endless darkness was starting to get to her. Frantically, Merida looked around for something, anything that might help indicate where she is. When all seemed hopeless, she saw a pinprick of grey light. At first it was a small, dot of pale light. Then suddenly, the light grew brighter and closer. Merida had to shield her eyes and when her eyes finally adjusted to the light, the redhead saw that she was standing in a strange room.

Merida stood in the middle of a spacious room where the walls where constructed of smooth grey stone and wood. The floor was made of similar stone and was covered with fine carpets. Tall oaken bookcases lined the walls. A pair of cushy armchairs sat by a large, glass window.

Merida's spine tingled. Something about the room gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Merida slowly turned and inspected the room more thoroughly. She came to a stop when she saw a familiar face. On his knees in front of the ornate fireplace, cradling something in his arms was Victor Frankenstein.

He was dressed in a fine black suit with matching shoes. Merida circled the doctor and got a better look at him.

The first thing Merida noticed was that he looked very different. His face had deep lines in them and dark circles under his eyes. The pale light of the fireplace casted flickering shadows on his features.

Victor's hair was a mess, and his eyes were puffy and red. Merida glanced down at his hands and saw that they were soaked in blood. Lying at his side was a bloodstained dagger.

Victor was staring down at the thing that the thing in his arms. The doctor's eyes started to water.

Merida squinted and to her horror saw that it was a woman. The woman was the same age as Victor. She had long black hair and thin lips. Her skin was grey and parts of her body had visible stitches. The woman looked like she was stitched together like quilt.

She was dressed in a black dress that was covered in spatters of blood. Her eyes were wide open with a blank, glassy look in them.

Merida recognized the woman. She remembered Victor's locket and she remembered the woman's name. Elsa.

The redhead's blood ran cold, realizing that she was, somehow, in the middle of the past. Victor began to sob. He clutched Elsa close to his heart and his cries began growing louder, echoing off of the walls.

He rocked back and forth with Elsa's lifeless body in his arms, whimpering "Its all my fault…it's all my fault".

The doctor looked down at his loved one and whispered, "Forgive me, Elsa".

Merida wanted to talk to Victor, maybe even try to help him but suddenly there was a loud bang. Merida spun around and saw hundreds of people pouring into the room lead by a large beefy man dressed like a nobleman.

Everybody was carrying torches, pitchforks, knives and scythes. The man's eyes widened in horror at the blood soaked doctor and the lifeless, patchwork girl in the doctor's arms.

The man whispered, "So…it is true"

Victor looked up at the man in fear "F-father, I can explain-"

"Devil! Necromancer! Defiler" bellowed the man shaking a torch at his son.

Victor pleaded as he rose to his feet, "Father, please!"

"Silence!" screamed his father "You have done the unspeakable, the unholy! You brought dishonor and shame to our family, For this!" he gestured to Elsa's lifeless body "You must be punished!"

He pointed at his son and barked at the crowd "Seize him!" in an instant, the crowd swallowed Victor up and the room began to fade away like ink in water.

* * *

Everything faded until Merida was alone in the endless dark again, only this time she was only there for a few moments.

After a few moments, the darkness vanished and she found herself standing outside a tower that rested in the middle of a peaceful looking valley. She wondered why she was there when she suddenly heard a voice speak "…do we have a deal?"

Merida turned around and saw a figure in a hood talking with Rumpelstiltskin.

Rumpelstiltskin was still wearing the same clothing he wore when she met him. The dwarf scratched his chin thoughtfully "I don't know…"

"Please…I'm desperate" begged the hooded figure.

Rumpelstiltskin sighed, "Fine, only if you deliver on your half" "Deal!" said the hooded figure happily.

They shook hands and they parted ways. Merida saw that the hooded figure was a woman with wrinkled skin and white hair.

The scene changed again, only this time she was in the same place but it was night. Merida saw the woman standing at the base of the tower, tapping her foot impatiently.

Suddenly, Rumpelstiltskin approached the woman from out behind some bushes.

The woman asked, "Where you followed?" "No" grunted Rumpelstiltskin.

The woman's voice grew softer "Did you get her?"

the dwarf nodded grumbling "Yeah, yeah".

He held up a bundle of blankets to the woman. The woman took the bundle and held it close to her. She hummed a soft tune and sang an odd song. Suddenly, the wrinkles faded away and the woman's hair turned jet black. Merida's eyes almost popped out of her skull. The woman had become younger right before her eyes.

The woman smiled "Much better"

"Ahem!" coughed Rumpelstiltskin.

The woman nodded "A deals a deal" she handed the dwarf a roll of parchment that had something written on it. Rumpelstiltskin studied it for a moment then stuffed it in his pocket. He extended a hand "Pleasure doing business with you Gothel"

"Like wise old friend" said the woman.

Rumpelstiltskin smiled "Now if you excuse me, I have a kingdom to overthrow".

Once Rumpelstiltskin departed, Gothel looked down at the bundle in her arms and said softly "You're going to need a new name sweetie" she glanced around her till she saw a small, green plant that grew nearby.

Gothel smiled and said "How about, Rapunzel?"

* * *

The scene around Merida faded and she was in the darkness again.

Merida blinked and she found herself standing on what looked like a bridge. The redhead glanced around and she saw about a short distance behind her, a grand castle with a beautiful town surrounding it.

The castle and town were on a small island was connected to the main land by the bridge Merida stood on.

Merida admired the beautiful sight. The sky above was a deep pink color smeared with blue and orange. In the distance, the sun slowly dipped behind the ocean. For a moment, Merida thought nothing bad was going to happen.

But she was wrong. She glanced up and saw a large swarm of black shapes. Merida squinted and she saw that they were people.

There were thousands of them, all dressed in uniform black and flew in formation.

They circled the small island kingdom like birds of prey and before Merida could react, they attacked. The swarm of black descended upon the small kingdom like a storm and there were screams coming from the kingdom.

Flashes of blue and green erupted here and there. Large plumes of black smoke rose from the kingdom. Sounds of battle drifted through the air followed by a loud cackling. Merida wanted to move but she couldn't. She was frozen in place.

The redheaded princess watched as the small kingdom descended into madness. A few people tried to flee to the bridge but where cut down by flashes of light. Merida watched a single figure slowly descend from the sky and land on the bridge.

She saw that it was Rumpelstiltskin. He rode with a witch who was clad in black clothing and armor.

The dwarf stood there on the bridge and watched the destruction unfold before him. He smiled and muttered, "This should send a message to those who defy me"

"Quite the over achiever, don't you think?" said a smooth voice.

Merida glanced back behind her and saw a tall, slim man. He had grey skin, slick black hair, golden eyes and sharp teeth. The man was dressed in flowing black robes that had glittering silver patters of the moon and the stars on the edges that made it look like the night sky.

The dark haired man put his hands behind his back and he approached Merida's side and looked about the scene "He went from a simple, traveling magical salesmen to magical warlord in a matter of a few years" he grinned and glanced sideways at Merida "And its all thanks to you".

Merida's blood ran cold. She asked the man "What do you mean? And who are you?"

The man smiled "I am Pitch Black, King of Nightmares, and please allow me to explain". Pitch cleared his throat and he snapped his fingers. Everything went silent and the entire world seemed stood still. It was as if someone had stopped time itself.

Pitch smiled "That's better" he turned to Merida "Now then. Rumpelstiltskin wouldn't be ruler of a good portion of the world and many people's lives wouldn't be such wonderful tragedies if it weren't for you"

Merida frowned in confusion "What do you mean? I didn't do anything?"

Pitch continued on, all the while smiling dreamily "On the contrary, the world is in such disarray because of a single selfish little brat refused to grow up"

"That's a lie!" snarled Merida

Pitch smirked and he spoke in Merida's voice "But Mum, I don't love those boys, I don't want to be married" Pitch burst out laughing.

Merida clenched and she threw a punch at Pitch. Before her fist could hit its mark, the nightmare king vanished in a puff of black smoke and reappeared a few feet away from her at the other end of the bridge.

Pitch cocked an eyebrow and cooed, "Aw, did I upset the little princess?"

Merida snarled and charged at him, ready to beat him to a pulp.

Pitch laughed and he glided away from her and away from the frozen scene of destruction. Merida followed after him.

* * *

Merida followed him and saw that he was waiting for her at the base of a towering tree.

Not thinking, Merida sprinted at Pitch but Pitch ducked behind the tree. Merida followed but instead of finding Pitch, she saw nothing but darkness.

The redhead turned but she saw a solid wall of stone blocking her path.

Merida turned again and she found that she was in the middle of a cramped, stone tunnel.

She paused for a moment and considered what to do but she heard Pitch's laughter echo down the tunnel.

Merida sprinted down the tunnel and followed it till she came to a dead end.

Frustrated, Merida growled, "Show Yourself!"

"Oh, temper, temper" cooed Pitch.

Merida felt something push her deeper into the shadows and she felt herself falling. She fell for a few moments till she solid ground. Merida quickly jumped up and looked around "A temper like that is quite unbecoming of a lady" remarked Pitch.

Merida spotted some stairs with a ray of cold grey light illuminating the top. She saw Pitch's silhouette quickly ascend the stairs and she quickly sprinted up them till she came to a skidding stop because the stairs led to the edge of a precipice.

The precipice over looked a vast cavern and in that cavern looked like an empty city that was built into the walls of the cavern but was abandoned at the last minute. Long strands of iron chains hung from the ceiling like cobwebs. Pale light dimly lit the vast cavern and the city. Merida looked down and saw nothing but endless black.

Her heart thumped away in her chest. She tried to back away but she bumped into something. Merida glanced back and saw Pitch standing there, holding a large black scythe. Pitch swung the scythe. Instinctively, Merida jumped out of the way but she lost her footing and fell.

She fell through the endless black and suddenly felt herself stop abruptly.

Merida blinked a few times and she immediately found herself lying on the ground of a vast, stone courtyard.

The redhead sat up and she saw Pitch sitting on a rickety old chair by a large iron globe sitting beside him on a large stone block.

Pitch's eyes gleamed in the pale, gloomy light that illuminated the courtyard "That was fun, we should do this again sometime"

Merida scowled at the nightmare king and she got up to attack. But Pitch held up a hand and the chains on the ceiling dropped down and entangled Merida.

Pitch rose to his feet and glided to Merida. He looked the princess in the eye and said softly "Learn some respect for your elders"

Pitch smiled "Now than, be a good girl and wake up" his hands reached into the folds of his robes. His hands withdrew handfuls of black powder and he hurled one handful into Merida's face.

Merida coughed and her eyes grew heavy. As her vision blurred and the world faded away, Pitch added, "Oh and do remember this when the time comes. When everything around you comes crashing down and everyone you held dear for these past few days vanish before your eyes, remember that its all your fault" he chucked the next handful of powder into Merida's face and laughed.

Merida's eyes shut and Pitch's mocking laughter slowly faded to nothing.

* * *

The first thing that greeted her was soft chirping of birds. Merida's eyes slowly opened and she found herself staring up at a ceiling.

The redhead tried to sit up but she felt a sharp pain explode in her side and arm.

Ignoring the pain, she managed to sit up and see her new surroundings. Merida saw that she was in a room. It contained only table, a dresser, a mirror and the bed she was in.

She glanced at the window and saw warm sunlight spill into the room.

Merida frowned in confusion, wondering how she ended up in this room. Suddenly everything came rushing back to her. Toothless falling out of the sky, Jack and Hiccup screaming something and crashing back to earth.

Hiccup! Jack! She forgot about them. Merida tired to climb out of bed but she fell to the floor. She found that her arm and her leg were bandaged up.

The door opened and a woman entered the room carrying a tray of food. The woman was tall and dressed in a plain brown dress. She had pale features and long brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. She spotted Merida on the floor "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Where am I?" asked Merida nervously. The woman placed the tray on the table and she explained as she helped Merida back into bed "You are in the village of Mayfair, in the Blue Moon Inn" the woman smiled "My name is Gretel"

"I'm Merida" said Merida.

Gretel nodded "I know, your friend told me about you" "Friend?" asked Merida

"The one with brown hair, freckles and the pet dragon-" said Gretel

"Hiccup!" said Merida.

Gretel nodded "Right and the one with white hair, Jack" "And don't forget about me" said a familiar voice.

Merida and Gretel looked towards the door and saw standing there was Duncan. The elf smiled "Hello Merida" "Oh yes and the elf" said Gretel.

Merida felt a little relieved. After the crash and the bizarre encounter with Pitch, she felt a little relieved to see a friendly face.

Merida asked Duncan "Where are Jack and Hiccup?"

"They're fine" said Duncan, waving a hand "Hiccup recovered pretty quickly and Jack came out unscathed"

"What happened?" asked Merida.

Duncan sat down at the edge of the bed and explained "From what I was able to gather, Toothless was shot down by a crossbow bolt" "Crossbow bolt?" asked Merida "How? We escaped before any one attacked"

"From the make of the bolt and the accuracy of the shot, I believe it was the work of the Huntsman" said Duncan grimly.

Merida frowned in confusion "Who?"

"The Huntsman" said Duncan "A vicious hunter Rumpelstiltskin hired to track you down"

"Why?" asked Merida. The elf shrugged "Don't know, but if he hired the Huntsman, he really must want you dead". Merida instantly felt ill. Not only was she a wanted criminal, she also had a vicious hunter out for her head.

Gretel spoke up "Ok, that's enough visiting for now. Lets let Merida rest"

Duncan nodded "Right" he got up and left the room.

Gretel handed Merida the tray of food and said "Eat up" she turned and left the room as well.

* * *

In the hall, Gretel walked down the hall passing the other rooms but she froze for a moment.

She glanced back down the hall and saw nothing. After a moment, she shrugged and continued on.

* * *

Unbeknownst to her, Duncan was on the ceiling. His fingers were planted into the wooden ceiling, allowing him to hang on the ceiling and to hide from Gretel.

Duncan dropped down from the ceiling and he slowly stretched his limbs.

As he stretched, his bones creaked and his joints popped.

His bright green eyes turned violet and a set of fangs appeared in his mouth.

Duncan's nails turned into long, black claws that were strong enough to cut flesh and bone. The false elf turned his violet eyes towards Merida's room.

A long purple tongue slithered out of his mouth and he licked his lips. The girl was in her room, alone and vulnerable at last.

The fake elf quietly stalked his way towards the door. His long, slender fingers reached for the door. Quietly, he opened the door and he slipped inside. With a combination of a glamour spell and luck, the fake elf was able to enter undetected.

The red haired girl was busy with her breakfast. The fake elf tiptoed to the bed and he raised he claws, ready to slash the girl to ribbons. But suddenly, the door burst open revealing a disheveled man with short hair wielding a crossbow.

Quick as a flash, the man leveled the crossbow at the fake elf and fired.

The bolt embedded itself in between the false elf's ribs.

Merida squeaked when the false elf fell on her bed with a crossbow bolt in its ribs and purple blood oozing out of its fanged mouth.

She looked up at the man in shock "W-who are you?" she looked down at the fallen, fake Duncan "W-what is this?"

The man kept his eye on the injured fake as he introduced himself "I'm Hansel, you've already met my sister Gretel" he nodded at the fake Duncan "And that, kid, is a Changeling".

The Changeling snarled and tried to rise from the bed but Merida punched it in the face, causing it to stumble to the floor.

Hansel smiled "That's the spirit".

End of chapter

* * *

**(a/n: Well what do you think? Please review!)**


	10. Ch 10: The Witch Queen

**(a/n: Phew! sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoy. Please, please review!)**

* * *

Ch.10: The Witch Queen

Hansel shoved the wounded Changeling up against the wall and put a silver knife to the creature's throat.

Merida stared at the changeling in fascination and fear. The creature looked exactly like Duncan and even sounded like him but now he barely resembles the elf.

The changeling still looked like Duncan. It still had his long blond hair and pointed ears but the resemblance ended there. He had violet eyes with slit pupils like a snake. He had long sharp fangs and long, black claws.

Hansel held the changeling in place and he stared the creature in the eyes. The changeling snarled, "Release me!"

"Not going to" said Hansel coldly "Not until you tell me who sent you and why do you want to kill this girl?"

The changeling grinned, "For the reward on the young one's head. Rumpelstiltskin is willing to pay a kings ransom for her and I'm more than happy to oblige"

Hansel frowned "What would a changeling do with gold? Last I checked, your kind isn't the materialistic type"

"I want to win favor with the Queen of the Witches, Blind Meg" hissed the changeling.

Hansel raised an eyebrow "Really? Why would you want to win favor with her?"

"I was once her servant" said the changeling "but I was cast out. With the reward from the girl's head, I will earn her favor again".

Suddenly the door to Merida's room burst open. Jack and Hiccup rushed into the room. Hiccup rushed to Merida's side "Are you ok?" Merida nodded.

Jack and Hiccup followed Merida's gaze and saw the wounded changeling. The two boys froze and stared at the creature in shock.

Hiccup stammered "W-what is that?" "A changeling" answered Hansel "It was disguised as your elf friend".

Merida thought of Duncan and she asked the changeling "Where's the real Duncan?"

the changeling chuckled "Dead in a ditch"

Hansel tightened his grip around the creature's throat "Tell the truth" he growled. The changeling struggled against Hansel's powerful grip and eventually he managed to spit out "He's…alive…visiting…his sister"

Hansel loosened his grip a little and allowed the changeling to gulp in fresh air. Merida was relieved to know that the elf was still alive somewhere.

Jack scowled "Who sent you?" "Nobody sent him", answered Hansel "He's here to kill your friend here" he nodded to Merida.

Jack and Hiccup's eyes widened "Why?" asked the two.

Hansel explained about the massive reward on Merida's head. Jack shook his head "That's just sick"

"A guy's got to earn a living" retorted the Changeling. Hansel grunted at the creature "Shut up" he turned to Merida, Hiccup and Jack "Get your things, we're going"

"Why?" asked Hiccup

"If this thing is telling the truth" explained Hansel nodding to the changeling "Than there will be more bounty hunters close by"

"Like the Huntsman?" asked Merida

Hansel nodded "Him and others. Some way worse them him" "Where will we go?" asked Merida.

Hansel swallowed hard and said, "I hate to admit it, but we're going with your friend's idea" "Idea?" asked the princess.

Hansel nodded "We're going to the only place where you'll be safe from Rumpelstiltskin's bounty hunters, the cottage of the Witch Queen, Blind Meg".

* * *

The group gathered up their things and they quickly loaded things into a wagon. Hiccup told Toothless to follow at a safe distance and the dragon obeyed. Jack and Hiccup helped Merida into the back of the wagon.

Once they were all in, Gretel snapped the reigns and the wagon took off.

The wagon raced down the cobblestoned street. They weaved through a few busy streets and crossed a stone bridge that crossed a wide river. Hansel had a weapon lying across his lap. It was short, had a barrel like a cannon but smaller. It had a trigger like a crossbow. The weapon was constructed of wood and metal.

Merida had no idea what it was but she didn't want to find out what it does. For almost two hours, the wagon followed a well-traveled road till they veered off it and followed a less traveled path through an eerie forest.

A chilly wind whistled through the trees and in their ears. Jack's eyes scanned the forest around them for anything.

Hiccup was shaking a little but he did his best to stay calm. Merida felt a little uneasy as well. She could've sworn that she saw shadows move in the distance, watching, waiting, till they were ready to pounce.

Suddenly the wagon came to a halt. Merida, Jack and Hiccup almost fell over.

Jack got up "What's going on? Why did we stop?"

"That" said Gretel, grimly.

Ahead of them was a small meadow. In the meadow, there was a stump and at the stump was a large, muscular man. The man was dressed in green; he had short blond hair, a thick beard and milky white eyes. In his hands was a shining, silver ax. The man was chopping firewood with his ax.

Merida frowned in confusion "It's only a man" "It's the blind woodsman" explained Hansel "He's one of Meg's guardians. In order to get to her, you have to go through him"

"He doesn't look tough" remarked Jack

"He is" said Gretel "We went up against him once and…lets just say it was rather embarrassing".

Hiccup studied the blind woodsman and asked "Can't we go around him?"

"Can't" said Hansel "You have to beat him to get to the witch, its part of some complicated enchantment she cooked up".

As the group conversed in hushed tones, Merida noticed that the woodsman had stopped chopping firewood and was watching them intently. The others soon noticed the absence of the ax swings as well. They turned and saw the woodsman standing only a few feet away from the wagon.

The woodsman grinned, "Well, well. What have we here? Visitors?" he leaned against his ax like a crutch "What can I do for you?"

"We seek an audience with the Queen" said Hansel. The woodsman's grin vanished and he eyed them suspiciously "What business do you have with her?"

"This girl" said Hansel jerking a thumb at Merida. The blind man's milky eyes landed on Merida and she shivered a little. She felt as if he was staring directly into her soul.

The blond scowled "Oh, her. Right, well her majesty will not be seeing her" "Why not?" asked Merida

"She doesn't want to see you, that's all" said the woodsman coldly.

Merida scowled at him and tried to get to her feet but pain forced her to remain seated. Jack glared at the blind man and said "Let us through"

"Or else what?" said the woodsman.

Jack raised his staff and he hurled a bolt of blue-white magic at the blind man. The bolt struck the woodsman and encased him in ice. Merida and Hiccup looked at Jack in shock, while Hansel nodded in approval and Gretel just pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You idiot" muttered Gretel

"What?" said Jack. Before Gretel could answer, Jack vanished in a puff of blue smoke. Hiccup vanished as well, followed by Gretel and Hansel. They reappeared in the meadow, bound tightly in chains. Each of them was on their knees, with their heads resting on stumps. The Woodsman broke free of his icy prison and he strolled over to them, twirling his ax in one hand.

Merida climbed out of the wagon and she limped into the meadow.

Gretel sighed in annoyance and growled at Jack "That's what".

The Woodsman smiled "For acts of aggression against me, by the authority of her majesty I hereby sentence you to death" he raised his ax and brought it down at Hiccup's neck.

Merida screamed "No!" the woodsman stopped himself. The ax halted about an inch from Hiccup's throat.

The blind woodsman looked up at Merida "What?"

"You can't kill them" said Merida "They haven't done anything wrong" "Your friend attacked me" said The Woodsman, calmly "I'm only carrying out justice. Your friends are accomplices and I must punish them too"

"That's unfair" argued Merida "You have to give them a chance".

The Woodsman frowned and he lifted the ax away from Hiccup's neck "What do you suggest then?"

"A game" said Merida.

The woodsman stroked his beard "A game? I like games" he nodded "Yes, a game shall do". He thought for a moment then he snapped his fingers "I know what game we shall play. But first, what are the stakes?"

"If I win, you let my friends go and you will let me see Blind Meg" said Merida "But if you win, we will leave and never return"

"I'll let you all leave, except for the albino" added the Woodsman "I have to make an example of someone".

Merida considered the stakes for a few moments. She could back out but the woodsman will kill everyone. If she won, then she'll be much closer to fixing everything. Eventually Merida nodded "Agreed"

"What!?" exclaimed Jack.

She glanced to the winter spirit "Don't worry, I'm not going to lose"

"Be careful," warned Hansel "The Woodsman is very good at games".

Merida nodded. She took a deep breath and she said, "I'm ready"

The Woodsman nodded "Good, now lets begin" he cleared his throat and he explained the game "You will have to guess my name before I finish chopping the firewood." he nodded to the large woodpile that sat next to the tree stump. Merida felt her heart sink into her stomach.

She was in serious trouble.

* * *

The Huntsman and company followed doctor Victor Frankenstein across the stone bridge towards a dense forest.

For a better part of a day, the Huntsman and the others followed the doctor while he chattered away about the weather, current events and wild life they saw. The only one who wasn't annoyed by his chatter was Rapunzel.

Luckily they passed through a town where they met a few people who saw Merida.

Unfortunately, however, they weren't the only ones on the trail.

The information led them to the Blue Moon Inn, where the Huntsman found a wounded changeling tied up in the basement of the Blue Moon Inn. He was trapped halfway between his transformation. The Changeling was a nightmarish version of an elf, with long black talons, razor sharp teeth and violet eyes.

After a few minutes of conversations with the wounded Changeling, the Huntsman managed to glean that there were other hunters on the trail. So far there none he recognized as a threat, except for two.

Jack and Jill. A pair of outlaws turned bounty hunters. They weren't very good trackers but they were tenacious and tough as nails.

Jack was big and strong, Jill was smaller but she was clever and quick on her feet, a very deadly combination.

Once he was sure that he was of no further use, The Huntsman beheaded the Changeling and buried his body in the basement, in case someone else found him.

The Huntsman marched up the stairs, carrying his bloodied ax to rejoin the others outside of the Inn.

Outside the Vikings were waiting patiently for the Huntsman to exit the Inn.

As they waited, they took in the sights of the prosperous village of Mayfair. The streets were filled with villagers going about their day-to-day business. A rich mixture of sweet scents drifted around the street.

Rapunzel and Victor were at a nearby stall where a man sold freshly baked cakes.

Victor didn't have much money but he bought a cake for the young girl. She thanked him and shared some with the doctor, the Piper and the Vikings.

Once the Huntsman emerged from the Blue Moon Inn, Rapunzel offered him a slice of cake. At first the silver haired hunter refused but after she persisted, he accepted the slice.

The Huntsman grabbed Victor by the collar of his suit jacket and pulled him along growling "Come on, we got to beat the others to the girl"

"Others?" asked Astrid

"Yeah, others" muttered The Huntsman "Apparently Rumpelstiltskin decided to up the bounty a bit and has made it publicly clear that there's an extra reward to who ever captured the girl"

"Extra reward?" asked Snotlout.

The Huntsman nodded and he told the others the extra reward Rumpelstiltskin put out and they all gaped at him. Even Victor looked surprised.

With an extra incentive from Rumpelstiltskin, the group pressed on, trying to catch up to Merida.

* * *

As the group crossed the bridge that led out of Mayfair, a couple was watching them "What do you think?" asked the man

"Nothing we can't handle" said the woman. The woman glanced at her accomplice "Get the wagon ready Jack"

"Right Jill" said the man, nodding.

Jack and Jill climbed into their wagon, which looked like a wooden fortress on wheels, and they took off after The Huntsman and his group.

Unbeknownst to Jack and Jill, however, four small figures attached themselves to the underside of their wagon and they began waiting for the right moment to strike.

* * *

Back in the meadow, Merida pulled at her hair, straining to find an answer "Is it…Paul?"

"Nope" said the woodsman, chopping another log in half.

Merida had been rattling on every name she could think of and each one of them was wrong. The large woodpile shrunk considerably and the woodsman was getting closer to beheading her friends.

Merida threw up her hands in annoyance and asked, "Can I have a hint?"

The woodsman smiled "Indeed you can" he paused and wiped away some sweat. The blond man told her "Your hint is this: My name, is in my hat"

he nodded towards the woodpile and she saw a green cap sitting at the top. Merida frowned "That's not a hint"

"Yes it is" said the woodsman.

Merida bit her lip and she tried to move to get a better look at the hat but the woodsman barked, "No looking!"

"No fair!" moaned Merida.

The woodsman only laughed. He set another log on the stump and he chopped it. Merida groaned and wondered what she will do. Suddenly, she saw a small yellow bird land by the cap then flutter to her shoulder. The whispered into her ear the name that was in the hat.

Merida blinked in shock and tried to ask the bird why it was helping her but the bird took off without another word.

Jack groaned, "This is hopeless"

"Has anyone guessed your name correctly?" asked Hiccup.

The Woodsman shook his head "No, never".

The blind man set another log and he inquired "Well?"

"I know your name," said Merida "Is it…Juliette?" the woodsman blanched. He sputtered "H-how?"

Merida shrugged "Just a guess".

The woodsman grumbled, "You win" he snapped his fingers. Jack, Hiccup, Hansel and Gretel were freed.

Jack got to his feet chuckling "I never would've guessed your name. I mean, it such a manly name…Juliette" Hiccup elbowed him in the ribs.

The woodsman's face was red and he looked ready to explode but Merida intervened "Now its your turn, take us to the witch"

"Fine" mumbled the woodsman.

He snapped his fingers and on the far side of the meadow, a pair of trees slid out of the way, revealing a pair of black iron gates. The woodsman led Merida, Jack, Hiccup, Hansel and Gretel to the gates. At the gates, the woodsman told Hansel and Gretel to wait there.

The woodsman opened the gates and led Merida, Hiccup and Jack through.

The four trudged through a lush garden that was filled with flowers of assorted colors and scents. Some scents were so powerful, they made Merida's eyes water.

Ahead of them was a moderate sized cottage with white walls, blue shutters and a thatched roof. For the home of a great and powerful witch, it wasn't exactly what Merida expected. She expected a cave or a castle but she lived in a rather modest home.

The woodsman knocked on the door and they heard footsteps approaching the door.

The door opened, letting out an overpowering scent of lavender.

Standing before them was a beautiful young woman. She had long blond hair that flowed down past her shoulders like a waterfall of gold. Her skin was white as cream, her lips were thin and ruby colored; Finally, she had milky white eyes. The woman was dressed in a plain blue dress with an apron. Her hands and face were caked in flower and dough.

Hiccup, Jack and Merida stared up in awe at the woman's beauty.

She looked about Victor's age but her eyes indicated that she was much older. The woodsman grunted "visitors"

"Thank you" said the woman in a warm voice "You may go".

The woodsman turned and he walked away, leaving the three teens with the woman.

Jack, Hiccup and Merida watched as the woodsman leave than they turned to the blond woman.

She grinned, revealing pearly white teeth "Come on in, I just made a fresh batch of gingerbread cookies" the woman stepped aside and ushered the three teens inside.

Once inside, the woman closed the door behind them and she went to a large, ornate oven.

She opened the heavy iron door and pulled out a tray of cookies that were in the shape of people.

Carefully, the woman placed the tray on the large oven top and turned to the teens "Now than, how may I help you?"

the three fumbled for words till Merida spoke "W-we're here to see Blind Meg" "I am she" said the woman.

The three stared at her in surprise. In truth, the three thought that she was just a maid or a servant and the witch was some hideous old woman.

Blind Meg placed her hands on her hips "Well?" "I-I need your help" stammered Merida.

The Witch frowned and she sat down in a chair by the oven "I see but what with?" Merida took a deep breath and explained everything, from beginning to end.

End of Chapter.

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**(a/n: What do you think? Jack and Jill in this are a mixture of the ones from "Puss in Boots" and my own version. Anyway, please review!)**


	11. Ch 11: Witches Brew

**(a/n: Sorry for the wait. Enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.11: Witches Brew

Merida concluded her tale and took a deep breath.

The blind witch stared at her blankly. After a few moments of silence, Meg said, "Well, I must say you have been through quite a lot"

"I know" said Jack, muffled by the gingerbread cookies in his mouth.

Merida had spent the last few minutes retelling her story about her contract and the journey there.

Meg stroked her chin "Fascinating that not only the dwarf is after you but Pitch has made himself known, he rarely visits anyone in their nightmares unless it was something important"

"Can you help me or not?" asked Merida a little impatiently.

The blond witch stared at her with her milky eyes for a few moments, until she bluntly said "No".

Meg rose from her seat and went back to her oven and pulled out another trey of cookies.

Merida frowned "Why not?" "I don't want to," said Meg, shrugging off her apron and oven mitts "I am done interfering with Rumpelstiltskin's business transactions"

She turned her head towards Merida "I also think that you really haven't learned your lesson"

"My lesson?" said Merida looking confused.

Meg sighed and she turned to the redhead "You wished to be free and here you are, free as a bird. Free to take control of your own life"

"But my family is dead" said Merida "I didn't want that"

"Sometimes life gives us things that we don't want" said Meg "We must make the best of what we have".

Merida looked at the witch in disbelief "You mean, I came all this way for nothing?"

"Pretty much" said the Witch nonchalantly. She waved a hand "Now, go away"

The redhead's expression hardened "No".

Meg's eyebrow arched "Excuse me?" "No" repeated Merida.

Jack almost choked on his cookie. He sputtered "M-Merida, I don't think you should-" but Merida cut him off with a glare.

Meg's expression turned icy and the temperature of the cottage dropped to freezing. The witch's eyes began to glow bright blue and a cold wind rushed through the inside of the cottage. Hiccup shivered, Jack clutched his staff tightly and the two began backing away from Merida.

Meg's eyes narrowed and she growled, "I told you to leave!" "I will not" retorted Merida "Not until you help me".

The witch's eyes bore into Merida's and a pair of crimson fireballs appeared in her hands. The entire cottage began to quake and Meg began to levitate off of the ground. Every part of Merida told her to run but if she wanted to fix everything, she had to hold her ground.

After a few intense moments, the witch suddenly began to laugh. She slowly returned back to earth and the cottage stopped quaking. Her eyes returned to normal and the fireballs were extinguished.

Meg was laughing heartily. Merida, Jack and Hiccup stared at the witch queen in confusion.

Finally, after catching her breath, Meg said "If you insist, I will help you".

Merida's eyes widened "You will?"

Meg nodded "Yes"

Merida couldn't help but jump up and down saying over and over "Thank you, thank you"

the witch held up a hand "Calm down" Merida obeyed.

Jack and Hiccup looked at Meg in confusion "What was all that about?" asked Hiccup.

Meg smiled "I wanted to see how far your friend was willing to go for my assistance" "Oh" said Hiccup.

The witch clapped her hands together "Now than, Jack, Hiccup, leave"

The winter spirit and Viking looked at the witch in confusion. She repeated in a firmer tone "Leave". The two jumped and they scurried to the front door.

Hiccup turned and said to Merida "We'll be outside" he bolted out the door and closed it behind him.

Merida glanced back to the witch who was smiling "Now…lets begin".

The witch snapped her fingers and a small, black cauldron appeared hovering over a small fire in the middle of the cottage. Meg snapped her fingers again and the nearby cabinets opened. She flicked her wrist and a number of bottles flew off of the shelves and floated towards her.

Meg pointed to the cauldron and one by one the bottles began pouring their contents into it.

Once the bottles finished, they glided back to their original places in the cabinet. The witch withdrew a wooden spoon from a pocket on her apron and she began stirring the cauldron's contents.

As she stirred, Meg glanced to Merida and said "So tell me about yourself Merida"

Merida blinked "What?"

"This potion is going to take a while to make" said Meg "So, to pass the time I think we might want to get to know one another"

The witch smiled "I'll start off" she thought for a second and said "Blind Meg isn't really my name, its just a nickname that stuck to me when Rumpel was chasing me around the kingdoms. My real name is Genevieve"

The witch waved to Merida "Your turn".

Merida blinked a few times and she told the witch a little about her life before the contract.

As Merida told the witch of her life, Genevieve nodded slowly. After a few minutes, Merida finished and she asked the witch "Are you blind? If you are, how can you see me?"

Genevieve grinned, "Yes, I am blind. I can't see you with my eyes but I can tell where you are and use my other senses to help me see".

Merida nodded slowly and she nervously asked, "How…I mean…how did you…?"

"How did I become blind?" said Genevieve, finishing Merida's question. Merida nodded.

The witch frowned a little and she sighed, "It was a long time ago. I was once royalty, like you. One day, I was riding through the woods hunting when I came across a poor, starving woodsman. There was something about him I can't explain. There was a…touch of destiny about him, as if he were destined for something"

The witch shook her head "Anyway, I gave him an enchanted crossbow so that he could hunt for his family. I told him that it would always hit its target. He gratefully accepted it"

"What happened after that?" asked Merida.

Genevieve thought for a moment and said, "To make a long story short, the woodsman ambushed me in the forest when I was out for an afternoon ride a few weeks later. He blamed me for the death of his wife and daughter"

"Were you?" asked Merida, eyeing the witch suspiciously.

The witch looked at Merida and said firmly "No, I was not responsible for their deaths. It was the crossbow. I told him that magic came at a price. In fact, all magic comes with a price".

Genevieve sighed, "He didn't listen. He gouged out my eyes and he tried to kill me but, luckily, I was saved by Victor"

"Frankenstein?" said Merida in surprise.

The witch nodded and smiled a little "He took me back to his cottage and he healed my injuries. Luckily I am a witch or I would've died from the blood loss".

Merida frowned and she pointed at the witch's milky eyes "But you have your eyes?"

"What? These?" said Genevieve, pointing to her eyes. She shook her head "No, these aren't my real eyes. They're just fakes. Victor made them for me"

Merida's eyes widened in surprise. The witch smiled "Aren't they wonderful?"

"Y-yeah" said Merida meekly.

Genevieve pushed away some strands of hair away from her own face saying "Sorry for telling you the gory details of my life but I just want to give you fair warning"

"Warning?" asked Merida.

The witch nodded slowly and her tone became grim "All magic comes at a price. Rumpel's Contracts, spells, curses, even this potion. Magic doesn't come free, it will take something as payment. This potion will break your contract but it will cost you dearly"

"That's what Pitch Black said" said Merida.

Genevieve nodded "He is right"

"What will it cost me?" asked Merida.

The witch shrugged "I do not know but what I do know is that you will be regretting this decision for the rest of your life".

Merida swallowed hard and she said nothing.

Genevieve's grim demeanor changed immediately to a lighter, positive one "By the way, nice work guessing Juliette's name"

"I had help" said Merida "From a bird"

"You mean this one?" asked Genevieve as she held up a finger. A small yellow bird landed on her thin, pale finger and chirped. Merida's eyes widened a little in realization.

The witch held a finger to her lip saying "Lets keep this between us, promise?" Merida nodded.

* * *

After a few hours of stirring and adding several different liquids and herbs, Genevieve said happily "Almost finished, I just need to add the final ingredients"

Merida groaned, feeling feed up with waiting around.

The witch held up a finger and said calmly, "Patience is a virtue" she went to her cabinets and she with drew three bottles.

Two where tiny and porcelain while the third was white and made of white shiny ceramic.

Genevieve uncapped the two and she poured a bright, shimmering liquid into the cauldron saying in a sing song voice "A few drops of desire"

She went to the other bottle and poured a light purple liquid into the mix saying "A pinch of passion".

Genevieve capped them and returned the two small bottles to the cabinet with the snap of her fingers. The witch plucked a few strands of hair from Merida's head. Merida yelped and rubbed her head as Genevieve added the strands of hair to the mixture.

The witch picked up the last bottle and she poured in a deep red liquid saying softly "And just a hint of lust".

A large puff of red smoke exploded from the caldron and formed a heart. Merida sniffed and a sweet scent of strawberries invaded her nostrils.

Once the smoke cleared, Genevieve dipped an empty flask into the caldron and filled it to capacity with a glowing red liquid.

The witch corked the flask and handed it Merida saying, "Use it wisely".

Merida held the flask up to get a better look. She stared at it for a few moments and she asked Genevieve "How do I use it?"

"Have the one you fancy drink it and they will fall deeply in love with you on your first kiss" said Genevieve as she took off her apron.

Merida frowned "What?" "Well you don't have to get your crush to drink it" continued Genevieve "You could slip it into their drink or pour some of it on to their food"

"Crush?" said Merida in confusion.

Genevieve stared at the redhead for a few moments and said, "You do have a crush, don't you? Someone you have feelings for?"

Merida hesitated for a few moments then shook her head. Genevieve shook her head slowly "That's not good"

"Why?" asked Merida

"In order to use the potion to maximum effect, you have to have some feelings for your target" explained Genevieve "The potion would draw upon your feelings, any feeling, for the person and magnify it a hundred fold. But if you don't have feelings for anyone, than I'm afraid the potion won't be very effective."

Merida sputtered "W-what do I do? I need this potion to break the contract before time runs out".

Genevieve shrugged "I don't know. I can't make complete strangers fall in love magic doesn't work like that. They have to have some sort of emotional bond with each other. Even the slightest bit of affection would do"

Suddenly the witch turned her head towards the door and smiled.

Merida frowned "What?" "I believe that you have two potential candidates right outside" said the blind witch.

Merida's eyes widened "you mean, Jack and Hiccup?"

Genevieve nodded "Who else?" "No, not them" refused Merida.

The witch frowned "Why not? Two handsome fellows like them? I'm sure it would be easy to fall for either of them" Merida's face turned bright red.

The witch noticed and she chuckled "Oh my, so who is the lucky fellow? the Viking or the winter spirit?" "Shut up" said Merida, feeling flustered.

Genevieve smiled "I'm only pulling your leg" she sighed "But in all seriousness, you have to choose. Or you would have to find some random stranger and make them have feelings for you, which is impossible."

The witch placed a hand on Merida's shoulders and said "There's nothing more I can do for you, its all up to you"

"How will I know when to use this?" asked Merida holding up the potion.

Genevieve thought for a moment and said cryptically "You'll know when the time comes". The witch flicked her wrist and the door swung open.

Merida walked out the door and she marched out of the garden towards the glen where Jack, Hiccup, Hansel and Gretel were waiting.

* * *

Once Merida left, Genevieve paused for a moment and thought hard about something.

She had a strong feeling that she forgot to tell Merida something.

Eventually, Genevieve shrugged and she began cleaning up her cottage.

* * *

As soon as Merida returned to the glen, Hansel told them to get back into the wagon.

The three teenagers climbed in and the wagon took off. As the wagon raced through the forest, Jack asked, "Did you get what you were looking for?"

Merida thought for a moment. She could say yes but she decided not to. If she were to make it known to either Jack or Hiccup that she had a love potion and she planned to use it one of them, they'll just run away.

Merida shook her head "No"

"So now what?" asked Hiccup.

Hansel glanced back at the Viking and said, "Now we run. We get out of the kingdom and lay low for a while".

* * *

Back at the witch's cottage, Genevieve was finished cleaning up her cauldron and placed it back in its cupboard when she heard the door knock.

The blind witch frowned "Who could that be?" she muttered.

She went to the door and opened it. Standing there with a crossbow bolt aimed at her heart was the Huntsman.

The witch was surprised. She wasn't expecting to see him. The Huntsman growled "Hello again, Genevieve"

"R-Richard, What are you doing here?" she asked, looking bewildered.

The hunter scowled at her "You know why. The girl, where is she?"

"Gone" said Genevieve "Where too, I don't know".

The Hunter's yellow eyes bore into the witch's and he slowly lowered his crossbow. Genevieve stared at him for a moment and asked, "Are you here to kill me?"

"I wish" said The Huntsman coldly "But the bounty on your head says you more valuable alive than dead".

The hunter slapped a pair of iron cuffs on the witch's thin wrists. He pushed her out of her cottage and led her to the glen where his companions waited.

The Vikings stared at the witch in awe. She was not what they had expected. They expected a hag or some deformed creature but instead they saw a beautiful woman standing there.

Genevieve noticed Victor sitting on a nearby tree stump wearing cuffs as well. The witch sat down by the doctor and said sweetly "Fancy seeing you here, dear"

"Oh you know, I was in the neighborhood and I thought I would stop by and say hello" said Victor in a friendly tone.

The blind woman asked Victor "What happened to my guardian?" "Dead" said Victor "Richard shot him with that magic crossbow you gave him."

"Such a shame" said Genevieve, sadly "I'm going to miss that woodsman".

Snotlout and Tuffnut stared at the two in surprise. Snotlout pointed to the two "You two know each other?"

"Yes" said Victor "We've known each other for…three years" "Four years" corrected Genevieve.

The Huntsman grunted, "Enough chatting, we need to catch up with the brat"

"You won't catch her in time" said a new voice.

Everyone turned and they saw a massive wagon that carried two figures. One was a small, slim woman with brown hair, freckles and dark eyes. The other was a man who looked like a small mountain. He had massive arms, fists and a stony expression.

The Huntsman's eyes narrowed "What are you talking about Jill?"

"If ya'll wanna catch that little brat, you won't get her on foot" said Jill, smirking a little.

The Hunter realized what she was implying and he snarled, "Not going to happen, this is my hunt. So leave you annoying pests while I am still in a good mood"

"Oh my" said Jill, sounding wounded "We come along and offer you some assistance and you just spit in our faces" she glanced to her friend "That ain't right"

"It ain't" grunted Jack.

The Piper glanced to the Huntsman and he played a few soft notes on his flute. The hunter scowled at his friend for a moment then he sighed. He glanced to Jack and Jill saying "Fine. You can help, but what are your conditions?"

"We split the bounty" said Jill "Down the middle, you and your gang get half, me and Jack get the other"

"That sounds fair" said Victor

"Shut up!" growled the Huntsman, glaring at the doctor.

The hunter thought for a few long moments then he reluctantly agreed.

The Vikings loaded Victor and Genevieve into the massive, covered wagon. The Vikings, the Piper and Rapunzel rode with Victor and the witch in the back while the Huntsman sat up front with Jack and Jill.

Once everyone was in, the massive wagon lurched forward and it slowly gained momentum, traveling down the forest path at a quick pace.

End of chapter

* * *

**(A/n: Please review.)**


	12. Ch 12: Underneath the Moon

**(a/n: enjoy and** **review!)**

* * *

Ch.12: Underneath the Moon

Merida stirred awake. She felt that the wagon was still.

She glanced around and saw that night had fallen and they were still in the forest. Pale moonlight shone through the branches.

Merida saw Hiccup and Jack sitting across from her, both fast asleep. She nudged them both but neither of them woke up.

Merida grumbled something then crawled out of the back of the wagon. She surveyed their surroundings and saw that the wagon came to a halt in the middle of a meadow. A soft breeze swept through the meadow and Merida shivered.

Merida heard crickets chirping and Hiccup snoring but for some reason, she felt uneasy.

Suddenly, Merida heard a rustling sound. The redhead glanced around and saw a shadow moving through the dark.

Merida gulped and she tried to wake the others but they were all fast asleep. When she turned around, Merida saw standing at the edge of the meadow Pitch Black, the King of Nightmares.

The nightmare king still wearing his black robes, the silver patterns gleamed in the pale moonlight.

Pitch grinned "Hello again, Merida. How are you doing?" "What do you want?" growled Merida.

The nightmare king shrugged "I only want to check on your progress. After all, you don't have long until the sands run out" he reached into his robes and withdrew a large hourglass that had black sand. The sand was quickly draining out of the top and filling up the bottom.

Pitch studied the hourglass and said, "By the look of this, you only have a few days left" his yellow eyes drifted to Merida and he said "Time's a ticking and the chances of going home are slipping away" he giggled "And you must make one of those poor boys love you".

Merida felt her cheeks grow warm "How did you know that?"

"I saw it" said Pitch casually.

The nightmare king began to glide towards her. Merida tried to move but she couldn't.

Pitch smirked, "So, which will it be? The clumsy little Viking or the carefree winter spirit?" "Shut up" mumbled Merida.

Pitch continued, "Honestly, you should choose Jack. Hiccup is a nice fellow but lets be serious" he chuckled "You might as well tie your own noose and hang yourself"

"I said shut up!" yelled Merida as she tried to slug Pitch.

Before her fist made contact with his body, Pitch dissolved into black smoke and he reappeared a few feet away.

The nightmare king grinned, "Well I see how well this is going. I take my leave" he turned and he glided out of the meadow. When he reached the edge of the meadow, Pitch glanced back at Merida and said, "Good luck Merida, you're going to need it" he threw his head back and laughed.

* * *

Merida bolted up right and saw that she was lying on the ground.

She looked around and saw that she was sitting a short distance away from the campfire.

Merida was a little disoriented but she remembered that after the wagon stopped, the group set up came then they all eventually fell asleep.

A chilly wind caused Merida to shiver. She got up and she decided to go for a walk.

For several minutes, Merida walked alone through the woods until she came to stop at a trickling stream. She sat down on a stump and sighed. Pitch was right. Time was running out and she was no closer to breaking the contract. To make matters worse, Merida didn't know whom to choose.

There was a loud snap and Merida spun around. Stepping out of the bushes was Jack.

The winter spirit looked at Merida in surprise "Merida, what are you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep," answered Merida "You?"

"Me neither" said Jack. He sat down on the grass by Merida and laid his staff on the ground in front of him.

The two sat there staring at the stream. Merida looked up at the sky and saw a full moon hanging in the night sky. She muttered "Beautiful"

"Yeah" said Jack unenthusiastically "very pretty"

Merida glanced to Jack and asked "What?"

"The moon" said Jack "It's pretty"

Merida frowned a little "What is it?"

The winter spirit looked at Merida then up to the moon. He sighed and said, "It's the moon. Or rather the Man in the Moon, he made me this way."

"What do you mean?" asked Merida, looking rather confused.

Jack explained, "I used to be human, like you. I could feel the warmth of the sun, I played with friends and I had a family. But not anymore"

Merida's eyes widened in shock and she prompted, "What happened?"

Jack shrugged "I don't remember. All I remember are memories of waking up in a lake" he nodded up at the moon "And the Man in the Moon telling me my name. Anything before that is just one big blank".

Merida frowned deeply and asked, "Who's the Man in the Moon?"

"The first Guardian of the world" answered Jack "He chooses who becomes a guardian or not. He chose me to be a guardian three hundred years ago to fight along side a group of other guardians. He pulled me out of the lake but he didn't tell me why I am like this" he rubbed his temples mumbling, "For three hundred years, I have been left without any memory of who I was or where I came from".

Jack looked up at Merida and said, "You're lucky. You still remember your family".

Merida didn't know what to say. She thought she had it rough but it seems Jack has it worse than her. Spending three hundred years alone and with no memory of the earlier parts of your life would drive her mad.

After a few moments of silence, Merida placed a hand on Jack's arm saying, "I'm sorry about what happened. I wish there's something I could do"

"It's ok" said Jack "What happened has happened. That's all behind me" he smiled a little "Besides, I have new friends. Hiccup, Duncan…you"

Merida blushed a little and said "I-I'm going to go now"

"Ok" said Jack. Merida said goodnight and left.

* * *

Jack sat there and watched her as Merida made her way back to the campsite.

Once she was gone, a familiar voice cooed "Aw…young love"

Jack jumped to his feet and looked around until he saw the one person who he never thought he would see again in three hundred years. Standing across the stream was Pitch Black.

The Nightmare King's eyes glowed bright gold in the dark. He grinned "It seems my little Jackie has found himself a girlfriend"

"Pitch" growled Jack "What are you doing here?"

"No reason" said Pitch in a casual tone. The nightmare king glided across the stream and approached Jack.

Jack aimed his staff at Pitch's throat. Pitch held up a hand "Relax, I'm not here to fight."

"Why are you here then?" asked Jack looking the nightmare king up and down suspiciously.

Pitch's grinned broadly "I'm here because a mutual friend has an offer for you"

"Mutual friend?" said Jack looking confused.

Pitch reached into his robes and he withdrew something clenched in his fist. The nightmare king unclenched his fist and he showed Jack what was sitting in the palm of his hand, Jack's eyes widened in shock.

The winter spirit breathed, "Where did you get that?"

"Like I said, a mutual friend" said Pitch.

Jack attempted to swipe the item from Pitch's hand but the nightmare king slipped it back into his robes. He wagged a finger at Jack "Uh, uh, no touching"

"Give it to me" demanded Jack.

Pitch laughed "No. Not until you fulfill your end of the deal"

Jack scowled at Pitch "What deal?"

Pitch's grin widened and he explained, "Our mutual friend wants an exchange, the girl for your precious little memento."

Jack's eyes widened "What?"

"The girl for your little memento" repeated Pitch.

Normally Jack would refuse such a request but the item that Pitch was holding made the winter spirit think twice.

Pitch tapped his foot impatiently "Come on, I don't have all evening"

"I'm thinking," growled Jack. A few quiet moments passed and Jack still didn't make a decision.

The nightmare king sighed, "This is a limited time offer and it is slowly passing you by"

"Wait hold on a minute" said Jack.

Pitch said loudly "Going once…going twice-"

"Wait!" barked Jack.

Pitch stopped and he looked at Jack "Well?"

Jack sighed and nodded slowly, mumbling something. The nightmare king leaned forward "Pardon?"

"I said fine" said Jack irritably.

Pitch smiled "Excellent".

Jack's expression began to show guilt and hesitation.

Pitch patted the winter spirit on the shoulder saying "Don't worry, we did this sort of thing before so this should be very simple"

Jack swallowed and he nodded "Right".

Pitch turned to leave but he paused. He said in sympathy "What happened to Toothiana was not your fault"

"Yeah, but she shouldn't have been there" mumbled Jack "She wasn't supposed to get hurt". He looked up and pleaded "Please, don't hurt Merida".

Pitch turned and told Jack "Just remember our deal. Once the time comes, don't hesitate and the girl won't be harmed". The winter spirit nodded.

Pitch glided away and he vanished into the shadows. Jack sat down on the tree stump and buried his face in his hands.

* * *

A short distance away, hiding in the bushes was Hiccup.

The young Viking saw the whole exchange unfold. Hiccup's eyes narrowed at the winter spirit and he quickly returned to the campsite.

End of chapter

* * *

**(a/n: I know its short but I hope you enjoyed it. please review!)**


	13. Ch 13: Nightlight

**(a/n: Please enjoy and review.)**

* * *

Ch. 13: Nightlight

Merida, Jack and Hiccup awoke and found that the wagon was hitched up in a small courtyard.

The three teenagers climbed out of the wagon and they saw Gretel enter the courtyard from a nearby building.

Merida asked, "Where are we?"

"Crystal Hills" answered Gretel "A nice little village on the boarder of Rumpel's Kingdom and the Kingdom of Far Far Away"

Gretel pointed towards the building she exited and explained "We'll be staying here for the night. In the morning, we will travel north and over the boarder. Rumpelstiltskin will not risk following unless he wants open war"

"And then what?" asked Merida.

Gretel placed a hand on Merida's shoulder "We find a magical dealer to help you fix your contract. Far Far Away has tons of them that can help".

Merida nodded slowly "Ok".

Gretel smiled "Good" she turned and led the three inside.

* * *

Merida, Jack and Hiccup saw that the inside was opulently decorated with old rugs, suits of armor, paintings and animal skins.

Hiccup spied a den that had high bookshelves with hundreds of leather bound tomes. Above a stone fireplace were a shield and a pair of crossed swords.

The young Viking asked, "What is this place?"

"The home of a friend" answered Gretel "He's allowing us to stay for the night".

Gretel lead the three up a flight of stairs and showed each of them to a room.

Merida's room was spacious. It was almost bigger then her old room at home. It was well furnished and it had a window that gave an impressive view of the village. The village was comprised dozens brown stone buildings with chimneys. The village itself was resting at the foot of a towering, snowcapped mountain range.

Merida could smell a hint of lilac wafting from somewhere in the village.

Gretel told Merida "You can go exploring if you want"

"Really?" asked Merida.

Gretel nodded "Crystal Hill is a fairly safe town and I don't think anyone would be looking for you here. Besides, Crystal Hill is well known for the famous crystal waterfalls, the sight of the Battle of Violet Fields and the tomb of the King Robert of Far Far Away".

Merida thought for a moment. She was a little stressed from trying to get the Genevieve's potion to work. Maybe a day off wouldn't hurt.

Hiccup entered the room and Merida asked him if he wanted to go exploring with him.

The young Viking blinked in surprise and nodded quickly as his face started turning red.

When Jack walked by her room, Merida asked if Jack would join them but the winter spirit politely declined saying "I have things to take care of" and he left.

Gretel frowned a little then she turned to the other two teens "Well, I better go. I have to gather some supplies for our journey tomorrow".

She went to the door and paused "Oh and for dinner, meet me and my brother at the Stardust pub. The food there is excellent" with that she left.

Merida turned to Hiccup and smiled "So…shall we?" "Y-yeah" said Hiccup nodding.

The two left Merida's room and they went to explore the village of Crystal Hill.

* * *

Rapunzel strolled down the cobblestoned lane, taking in the sights of Crystal Hill.

The Huntsman and the others managed to track down their target to the peaceful town thanks to the assistance of Pitch.

The thought of the Nightmare King made Rapunzel shudder. He was unlike anyone she had ever met. Pitch arrived at their camp in the dead of night, emerging from the shadows. His eyes glowed like a pair of dying embers and his voice was soft but it had an edge that made Rapunzel's skin crawl.

Rapunzel wasn't the only one who was wary of the nightmare king.

The Pied Piper kept a tight grip on his flute, the Vikings kept their weapons on hand and Jack cracked his knuckles as if he were preparing for a brawl.

The only ones, who didn't seem to be affected by Pitch, were the Witch Queen Genevieve and the mad doctor Victor Frankenstein.

Rapunzel stayed close to them for the duration of the meeting, just in case. Pitch pointed them in the direction of Crystal Hill and departed into the night.

They made it to the town by dawn. The Huntsman and the rest of the group checked into a nearby inn and the Huntsman allowed Rapunzel and the other teenagers to go exploring. Astrid and the others went one way while Rapunzel went another.

As she explored the town, Rapunzel thought of her mother. Even though her mother was a harsh woman, she did still care about Rapunzel and was probably worried sick about her daughter.

But at the moment, Rapunzel was glad that she ran away from home. She was free to do whatever she wanted.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jack Frost soared above the village until he reached the peak of the snow-capped mountain that was closest to the village.

The winter spirit stood there in the snow and let the cold wind wash over him as he thought of Pitch's offer.

He heard a familiar voice ask "Penny for your thoughts?"

Jack glanced over his shoulder and saw Pitch standing there with his arms behind his back. The winter spirit didn't answer.

Instead, he asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Bring the girl to the tomb of King Robert" explained Pitch "Once there, my associates and I will take custody of the girl"

"And?" said Jack.

Pitch nodded "And you get your memento and the girl shall not be harmed". He grinned, "You can trust me, I'm a man of my word after all".

Jack turned and glared at the nightmare king murderously. Pitch waved goodbye and he vanished by melting into Jack's shadow.

Once Pitch departed, Jack sighed and he dived off the mountain peak.

* * *

As the morning slowly gave way to the afternoon, Merida and Hiccup traveled down a quiet street aimlessly.

For most of the morning, they had been through various back streets and shops. Merida felt some of her stress leave her.

For a few hours, she forgot about the love potion and the impending deadline that slowly drew near. She was also enjoying Hiccup's company a little more. As they currently walked down a narrow, less crowded street, they talked about their lives.

To Merida's surprise, they had a lot in common. For example, Hiccup's father wanted him to be a great warrior and slay dragons then eventually lead their people. But Hiccup didn't want to and he ran away from home because his father pressured him to slay a dragon and become a true Viking.

Which made Merida feel a sense of déjà vu. Eventually, Hiccup explained that he learned that dragons weren't their enemies and he gradually brought his people and the dragons together, thus winning his father's respect.

That made Merida think of how she was going to patch up her relationship with her mother, if she could somehow break her deal with Rumpelstiltskin.

Suddenly, Merida came to a halt and saw a small wooden sign hanging above a shop that read "_Professor Osric's Potions and Elixirs". _

She said to Hiccup "Lets look in there"

"Why?" asked the Viking.

Merida lied a little "It might have something that can help break my contract" Hiccup nodded. The two entered the shop.

* * *

Inside, Merida and Hiccup found that the inside of the shop tiny and cramped.

There was a bench by a wall where customers could wait and there was a counter separating the customers from the employees. Behind the counter was a door to a backroom. Manning the counter was a girl with auburn hair and grey eyes. She wore a clean, bright yellow dress.

The girl looked up at the two teens and asked, "Can I help you?"

"Do you sell potions?" asked Merida.

The girl nodded "Yes. We provide all sorts of potions and elixirs for all the magic folk of Crystal Hill"

"Can you help me with this potion?" asked Merida as she handed the girl the love potion that Genevieve made for her.

The girl took it and studied it closely. The red glowing liquid sloshed around the small flask.

For a few moments, the girl said nothing. After a few moments of studying it, the girl handed the potion back to Merida saying, "I don't think I can help you".

Merida's heart sank "Why?"

"It's perfectly fine" said the girl "it should be working but there seems to be missing a key component"

"What?" asked Hiccup

"ingredient" clarified the girl. The auburn haired girl sighed, "I wish I can do more but I can't. At least, not until Osric gets back from lunch".

Merida began to feel discouraged but the girl said "But…but I think I can probably take a look, if you want?"

"Yes, please!" said Merida.

The girl asked Merida to follow her into the backroom and she told Hiccup to wait. Before Merida climbed over the counter, a blond girl entered the shop. The blond asked if they had a potion that could prevent a person from dreaming.

The girl working the counter nodded and invited the blond to follow her and Merida to the back room.

Merida and the blond girl followed the auburn haired girl to the back room.

* * *

Merida found that the back room was much more spacious than the shop itself.

The backroom was well furnished with large bookshelves lining the walls, a pair of armchairs, a rug and a large fireplace.

The girl went to one of the shelves and began searching for a book. Merida noticed somebody sitting in one of the armchairs by the fireplace.

Sitting in the armchair was a boy with dark silver hair and a friendly face. Except his face looked like it had all kindness and joy drained away.

His skin was pale, he had dark eyes, and thin lips. The boy looked to be a year younger than Merida. He was dressed in a black cloak that was wrapped tightly around his thin body. The pale boy stared blankly into the fire as if he were lost in thought.

Merida could've sworn that he was glowing faintly.

The auburn haired girl glanced over to Merida and she said "Oh, that's Nightlight"

"Is he…alright?" asked Merida.

The blond girl waved a hand in front of Nightlight but the boy didn't seem to respond. He stared into the fire and he didn't seem to breathing. The auburn haired girl nodded "Yes. He's just…quiet"

"Is he always like this?" asked the blond.

The auburn haired girl shook her head "No. He used to be livelier. Until the…" she trailed off.

She then said "My name's Katherine, what's yours?"

"Merida" said Merida

"Rapunzel" said the blond.

Katherine plucked a book off the shelf and she began flipping through it. She found a page and she looked to Merida "Your potion is a love potion, correct?"

Merida nodded, turning red.

Katherine looked to the book and she explained "It says here that in order for a potion like this to work, there has to be an emotional connection between the owner of the potion and the drinker"

"That's what the witch said" said Merida.

Katherine nodded "Ok…" she scanned the page for a moment then said "Well…it seems that the witch is right."

Merida groaned but Katherine held up a hand "But…it seems that there is a way around that. The owner of the potion and the intended target would have to…" Katherine turned the page and she groaned "Oh no".

Merida asked, "What's wrong?"

"The important part is smeared away" said Katherine holding up the book. The bottom half of the page had ink smeared away and had large blotches in its place.

Merida felt her heart stop, another dead end. It was as if somebody was deliberately trying to keep her from breaking the contract.

Katherine closed the book and she returned it to the shelf. She apologized "I'm sorry but that was the only book we have on love potions"

"It's ok" mumbled Merida.

Katherine turned to Rapunzel, who was trying to get a response out of Nightlight, and said, "I'll get your potion".

Katherine went to another door on the other side of the room and left, leaving Merida and Rapunzel alone. The two waited in silence for several moments. After the moments passed, Merida decided to pass the time.

She asked Rapunzel "Why do you need a potion?" "To keep out nightmares" answered Rapunzel.

Merida nodded "I can understand that".

The two talked a little more about why they were at the potion shop. When the topic of the love potion came up, Rapunzel asked "Is it for a…special someone?" Merida nodded. Rapunzel's eyebrows rose and she glanced to the door that led back to the main shop.

She smiled "Is it for…?" she nodded to the door.

Merida's face turned red and she coughed nervously but said nothing.

Rapunzel chuckled a little and her attention went to Nightlight.

For some reason, the blond couldn't shake a weird feeling she had whenever she looked in his direction. Merida glanced to Nightlight who just sat in the armchair, looking into the fire blankly.

The redhead was also getting an odd vibe from Nightlight. Something about him felt wrong, like he was sick.

When Katherine returned with Rapunzel's potion, Rapunzel asked "What happened to him?"

Katherine hesitated a little and said quietly "He…had an accident"

"What accident?" asked Merida.

Katherine was quiet for several moments then she sighed "I suppose its time that I told someone"

"What?" asked Rapunzel and Merida. Katherine looked at the two grimly and asked "Promise that you won't repeat what I tell you to anyone else?"

Merida and Rapunzel nodded.

Katherine took a deep breath and she said, "Nightlight, was one of the Guardians" "He was!" gasped Rapunzel in shock.

Merida frowned in confusion "A what?"

"The Guardians" said Rapunzel "They were a group of mystical beings who are sworn to protect the children of the world from the Nightmare King and the Fearlings"

Katherine nodded "And they were guided by their powerful leader, the Man in the Moon or MiM as some knew him".

Merida, Rapunzel and Katherine sat down by the fire.

Katherine took another deep breath and explained, "The Man in the Moon imprisoned Pitch long ago after a long and devastating battle during a dark age in history. But he somehow escaped centuries later. Pitch was ravishing the entire country with a plague of nightmares and his army of Fearlings. The Nightmare King was far stronger than he originally was. He outnumbered the Guardians and had them outmatched."

"But the Man in the Moon decided to take a more personal interest in the war against the darkness. He was still exhausted from the first battle and could do nothing more than provide support and guidance. So MiM sent his personal bodyguard, Nightlight, to aid the Guardians in battle. Nightlight was imbued with the power of the moon, making him the perfect ally against the dark".

Merida and Rapunzel glanced to Nightlight in surprise. Not only was he once a Guardian, but also he was also the personal bodyguard of the Man in the Moon.

Katherine sighed sadly and her expression became grim "Although they made significant progress in their war against Pitch, the Nightmare King still had a few tricks up his sleeve. He knew the weakness of the youngest of the Guardians. He was young, short tempered and he did not yet know his place in the Guardians. The young guardian was the perfect target who could be swayed to join the darkness"

"What happened?" asked Rapunzel nervously.

Katherine glanced at the fire and her expression darkened "He listened to Pitch".

She turned her attention back to Merida and Rapunzel "you see, Guardians can't be seen or interact with people, unless people believe in them. This new Guardian couldn't be seen by anyone. Nobody believed in him. Pitch knew this and whispered things into the guardian's dreams until finally, he broke. The young guardian made a deal with a dwarf. He wanted to be seen and to interact with people, in exchange for his memories. Unfortunately, the dwarf was a close ally of Pitch."

Merida felt her heart skip a few beats. Katherine continued on, her tone became bitter "The dwarf took every shred of memory the guardian had of his previous life until he was a blank slate that Pitch could manipulate."

Katherine's eyes started to water "Pitch twisted him and made him turn on his comrades. The young guardian led them into a trap. One by one, they all fell".

Katherine paused and she sniffed, wiping away some tears.

When she was ready, Katherine continued, "They fought bravely until Nightlight and Toothiana were all that remained. The young guardian tried to win over Tooth. The young guardian was infatuated with Toothiana and wanted her by his side but when she refused, he was furious. To make matters worse, Pitch made the young guardian believe that Nightlight had caught her eye and that she had chosen MiM's bodyguard over the young, inexperienced guardian. Blinded by rage he attacked Nightlight but Toothiana intervened and she…died".

Merida and Rapunzel stared at Katherine in shock. Katherine shook her head slowly and she wiped away some more tears.

Rapunzel asked, "What happened after that?"

"Nightlight fought on alone" sighed Katherine "He tried to defeat Pitch but the Nightmare King had him outnumbered. With the young guardian's help, Pitch defeated Nightlight. Pitch slashed his throat, rendering him unable to speak ever again and poisoned him with his dark sand. The two left Nightlight to die in the dark and cold but luckily I found him before it was too late."

Katherine smiled a little "He was my best friend. He and North were both my friends. They saved me from Pitch and found me a home."

She glanced over to the unmoving former Guardian saying, "Now…I take care of him, like he took care of me when I was much younger. I stopped the progression of the poison but I can't cure him. The damage is too great and probably permanent."

Her voice started to break "I-I don't think he'll ever recover".

Merida and Rapunzel couldn't help but feel sympathy for Katherine. Her closest friend had been betrayed by a comrade and was now a lifeless husk that just stares into a fire all day. Merida felt disgusted by the guardian who betrayed Nightlight. He sold out his friends to a monster like Pitch Black.

She remembered that Jack mentioned that he was once a guardian. Maybe he knew who this traitor was.

Katherine sniffed and Rapunzel suddenly said, "Maybe I can help"

"H-how?" asked Katherine.

Rapunzel stood up and she walked over to Nightlight. She placed a hand on his and she began singing softly. Her hair began to glow and suddenly Nightlight's hair began to slowly change from dark silver to pure white.

The former guardian's dark eyes turned a light blue and he blinked a few times.

Once Rapunzel's song ended, Nightlight blinked and he looked around at his surroundings. He looked up at Rapunzel questioningly then to Katherine. Katherine's eyes almost popped out of her skull.

She got to her feet stammering "H-how?"

Rapunzel shrugged "I don't know. My hair can…heal people".

Nightlight stood and looked around in confusion. Katherine ran over and hugged him, making the former guardian look even more confused. When they broke the embrace, Nightlight made some hand signs and Katherine told him "I saved you…you were badly injured and I help treat your wounds"

Nightlight made more signs and Katherine's face became grim "No…no one else made it. It's…only you"

Nightlight's expression turned sorrowful and he looked down in shame. Katherine hugged him again and Merida saw some tears running down Nightlight's cheeks.

When they broke the embrace, Nightlight's expression turned bitter and he signed angrily.

Katherine nodded "He's still alive somewhere. So is Pitch" Nightlight signed something and Katherine shook her head "No…not yet. You need some time to recover".

She turned to Rapunzel saying "Thank you for healing him" "You're welcome" responded Rapunzel.

Nightlight bowed his head to Rapunzel and signed something. Katherine smiled and said, "He says that he is grateful and is in your debt".

Rapunzel blushed a little. Katherine turned to Merida "I'm sorry that I couldn't find what you were looking for but how about we talk about this later"

"Well…I got to meet some friends for dinner" began Merida but suddenly Nightlight signed something quickly and Katheirne translated "He wants to know if we could come along. He hasn't eaten anything in a very long time"

Merida smiled "Sure".

Nightlight's expression brightened, literally. His entire body began to glow a bright pale light like the full moon at night. The light was so bright that Merida and Rapunzel had to avert their eyes. When the light dimmed down, Nightlight grinned sheepishly and Katherine apologized "Sorry, he's just excited".

The four left the backroom to the main shop.

Katherine and Nightlight introduced themselves to Hiccup and Merida invited Rapunzel to join them.

Reluctantly, Rapunzel agreed. After Katherine locked up the shop, the five started off down the road to the Stardust pub together.

* * *

The Stardust pub was, in a word, lively.

It was packed with hundreds of patrons, drinking, feasting and talking loudly while a trio of musicians played loud, boisterous music.

Merida and the others found Hansel and Gretel sitting at a table in the corner surrounded by a dozen men and women.

As they got close to the table, Hansel concluded a tale saying "…and that is what happened at Ravens Hollow"

"Amazing" said a woman.

Hansel noticed the five approaching their table and he said loudly "Drinks on us!" the crowd cheered and quickly went to the bar.

When they arrived at the table, Merida introduced Rapunzel, Katherine and Nightlight to Hansel and Gretel. The two greeted the newcomers and they all sat down.

Hiccup asked what Hansel was telling the crowd of people and Hansel replied that he was only telling them a story from his past. Hiccup probed "What past is that?"

"When…we used to hunt witches" said Hansel.

Hiccup, Merida and the others looked at Hansel in shock. He explained that He and his sister had a history with witches.

Hansel then explained that after Rumpelstiltskin and his army of witches took over, he and his sister had to go underground and give up on hunting witches, unless they wanted to end up dead and buried in a shallow grave somewhere.

Hansel sighed "That's all in the past now".

A barmaid brought them some food and they dug in. As they ate, Hiccup glanced around and asked, "Where's Jack?"

Hansel shrugged "I don't know. I thought he was with you" "He said he had something to do" said Merida. They continued eating.

* * *

Meanwhile in the corner of the pub, Jack stood in the shadows, watching them intently.

His eyes widened in horror when he spotted Nightlight and Katherine. The winter spirit didn't expect to see them.

He thought that Nightlight died that night all those years ago.

Quickly, the winter spirit came up with an idea to draw Merida out, without confronting Nightlight.

* * *

Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Snotlout were strolling down a street trying to find the Inn where they were staying.

The hour was starting to grow late and the sun had sunken behind the mountains. After hearing Snotlout and the twins complain for several hours, Astrid was ready to give up.

Suddenly they heard a voice whisper "Hey".

The Vikings looked and saw a shadowy figure standing in a nearby ally.

The figure whispered, "You're looking for Hiccup, right?"

"Yeah" said Astrid "How do you know?"

"I know everything" said the figure "And I know where he is"

"Where is he?" demanded Astrid. And, he told them.

* * *

At the Stardust pub, Katherine was finishing retelling Nightlight's story to Hansel, Gretel and Hiccup.

The witch hunters were surprised and the Viking's eyes were narrowed suspiciously. When Katherine finished, Hiccup asked, "How did you cure Nightlight?"

"Rapunzel did it" said Katherine. She explained what happened and everyone at the table looked to the blond in surprise.

Hiccup then asked Katherine "This guardian…who is he?"

"He was a friend" explained Katherine "We trusted him and he betrayed us. His name is-" suddenly there was a loud bang and the entire pub went silent.

Everyone looked towards the door and they saw Astrid standing there, wielding an ax.

Astrid's eyes zeroed in on Merida and she attacked. Before she could reach the table, someone tackled her and a patron lobbed a mug at somebody across the pub.

Before long, the entire pub erupted into a chaotic brawl. Patrons began fighting with whatever they had on hand. Some used chairs, some used their utensils, and others just used their bare hands.

Astrid managed to get back to her feet and continue charging at Merida.

Hansel told Merida "Leave! We got this!"

Merida nodded and she quickly took off towards the rear of the pub. The redhead burst through the back door of the pub and found herself in a narrow alley.

"Need a hand?" asked a voice. Merida turned and saw Jack. The winter spirit held out a hand and Merida took it.

The two then took off rocketing into the sky, away from the Stardust pub.

* * *

Back at the pub, the brawl was over.

After a few minutes of fighting, the town's Sherriff arrived and ended the fighting.

He was very intimidating man who was not the type of man that anyone in the pub wanted to mess with. Most the patrons went home and the bartender was sweeping up some of the destroyed chairs, tables, plates and mugs.

Astrid, the Vikings and the others all stood outside, sorting out their issues.

Astrid thought that Merida had kidnapped Hiccup but Hiccup explained that it was a big misunderstanding. He explained that he was helping Merida because she wanted to break her deal with Rumpelstiltskin. If she did, then things would change for the better.

At first Astrid wasn't convinced but Hansel, Katherine and Gretel vouched for him.

When all was said and done, Snotlout asked the question that was on everyone's mind "Where's Merida?"

They searched around the pub and some of the surrounding streets but found nothing.

As they searched, Hiccup asked Astrid how they found him and she explained that a stranger pointed them in the direction of the pub. The Viking felt his heart sink.

Hiccup ran and he found Nightlight and Katherine searching for Merida one street over. He asked Katherine "Does the name Jack Frost ring a bell?"

Katherine's face turned pale and she nodded. Nightlight scowled and he nodded as well.

Katherine asked, "Why do you ask?" "Because I think I know where Merida might be" said Hiccup.

* * *

Jack and Merida landed on a grassy hill over looking the town.

The winter spirit led Merida to a large, stone casket that sat at the top of the hill. Standing on both ends of the casket were statues of knights. Merida got an impressive view of the village. The village looked like a swarm of fireflies from that distance.

She glanced to Jack and asked him "Why did you bring me here?"

"To show you something" said Jack nonchalantly.

Merida turned and faced the casket. She glanced around the hilltop and saw nothing but the casket and statues.

Confused, she asked, "Show me what?" suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her neck and she lost all feeling in her limbs. Merida collapsed to the ground. She tried to move but she couldn't lift her arms or legs. She couldn't even blink.

Merida heard some footfalls and she was flipped onto her back where the sight of the Huntsman, the Pied Piper and a man and woman she didn't recognize greeted her.

The Huntsman knelt down and plucked a dart from Merida's throat saying "That takes care of that".

He nodded to the woman and the man "Jack, get her to the wagon. Jill, get the wagon ready" Jack and Jill nodded.

The woman turned and left while the man picked up the immobile Merida. He began carrying her away. Merida tried to move but still couldn't feel anything.

She glanced around, hoping in vain someone would help.

She saw Jack Frost standing there, watching her being carried away. The winter spirit didn't meet her gaze.

Merida wondered why he wouldn't help her. Then she saw Pitch appear beside Jack. The two watched her being carried away. A thought hit her. Jack was the one who betrayed Nightlight and the Guardians. Now he was selling her out to Rumpelstiltskin.

Just when all seemed hopeless, Merida found herself on the ground again and the man carrying her was sent flying by a flash of bright light.

Jill yelled "What the-?" she was suddenly silenced by another flash of light.

Merida saw a pair of luminous boots land in front of her. She felt something touch her head and she suddenly regained all feeling in her limbs.

Merida sat up and she saw that the luminous boots belonged to Nightlight.

Nightlight stood tall, wielding a glowing staff that had a narrow, shining blade at the top. He wore a white and silver cloak that glowed like the rest of his body. On his chest was a crescent moon symbol.

Nightlight helped Merida to her feet and he quickly fired a burst of pure white light at the Huntsman, sending him flying several feet.

Merida breathed "N-Nightlight?" he nodded and he turned his attention to Pitch and his former ally, Jack.

The Nightmare King was petrified and Jack was completely speechless. Pitch blinked a few times and he sputtered "N-Nightlight what a surprise!"

Nightlight's eyes narrowed and he raised his hand to Pitch, sending a blast of white light at him. Jack hurled himself out of the way but Pitch wasn't as lucky. The nightmare king caught the blast in the face and was sent flying.

Jack looked at the fallen nightmare king in shock and he looked to Nightlight who looked ready to obliterate the winter spirit.

Jack held up a hand "Wait…please let me explain!"

Nightlight twirled his weapon and he launched himself into the air. The guardian soared and he quickly came hurtling back to earth swinging his weapon down on Jack.

Jack quickly blocked Nightlight's attack with his staff and knocked him back with a blast of ice. Merida saw that Nightlight's arm was encased in ice but the guardian merely freed his arm with just a blast of white light.

The redhead watch the two guardians clash. Nightlight ferociously attacked Jack, trying to slice him to pieces with his spear like weapon and blast him to dust with white light but Jack managed to block and dodge each attack.

Pitch joined the fray, using a scythe made from black sand that sparkled in the moonlight.

Nightlight was able to battle both of his attackers simultaneously without any trouble. Pitch tried summoning fearsome creatures made of black sand but Nightlight obliterated each of them with a blast of light.

Merida saw Katherine, Hiccup, Rapunzel, Astrid and the other Vikings arrive. Snotlout noticed the knocked out Huntsman, Jill and Jack.

He whistled, "Wow…this Nightlight guy is good"

"He is" said Katherine "Nightlight has been a guardian for a very, very long time. He was MiM's guardian since MiM was just a baby".

The teenagers watched as Nightlight sent the winter spirit flying with a combination of moves.

Pitch noticed Katherine and he growled "You!" he summoned a heard of black sand monsters and sent them to attack. Astrid and the others raised their weapons but suddenly, Nightlight jumped in their path and sliced the monsters apart with his spear.

Pitch spat "Always in my way, eh old friend?"

Nightlight made some signs and Katherine translated "As long as you are still possessed by evil and as long as you threaten these children, I will never stop fighting you Kozmotis".

Pitch's eyes flashed in anger and he roared, "My name is Pitch!" he attacked with his black sand scythe.

Nightlight blocked each attack and he slashed at Pitch's face. The blade left small cut on the nightmare king's face. Pitch looked at Nightlight in shock.

Nightlight made some more signs and Katherine translated again "Even though the Fearling's have changed you into Pitch Black the Nightmare King, you will always be Kozmotis Pitchiner the hero of the Golden Age to me".

To Merida and everyone else's surprise, Pitch froze.

He looked at Nightlight in shock. For a moment a sense of familiarity and sadness appeared in his eyes and he said softly "Really?"

Nightlight nodded. For a moment, Pitch did nothing. Then suddenly, Nightlight became encased in ice. Everyone looked up and saw Jack.

Jack floated above them and he landed in between Pitch and Nightlight.

Pitch approached the frozen guardian and whispered "You always were a sentimental fool".

He turned to Jack and ordered, "Grab the girl and lets go"

Jack didn't move. He glared at Pitch and demanded, "What about what you promised?"

"After we deliver the girl" growled Pitch. Jack moved to apprehend Merida but Hiccup, Astrid and the others got in the way. Hiccup said "She's not going anywhere with you"

Pitch chuckled "Really?" he flicked his wrist and suddenly a wave of black sand washed over them and swept them away.

Jack grabbed Merida's arm and he dragged her over to Pitch's side.

The Pied Piper helped the Huntsman to his feet and the hunter growled "What about us?"

"What about you?" said Pitch coldly.

Pitch was about to teleport them but he paused for a moment saying "First things first".

He walked over to the still frozen Nightlight and he summoned a lance made of black sand. With one clean lunge, Pitch impaled Nightlight in the heart.

Katherine screamed "No!" The ice cracked and crumbled away. Nightlight collapsed and his body ceased to glow.

Pitch looked down at the fallen guardian saying softly "Goodbye…my friend".

Pitch turned and he went over to Jack and Merida. The Nightmare King raised his hands and the three were swallowed up by darkness and shadows then they were gone.

End of chapter

* * *

**(a/n: What do you think? Ok, first things first. Katherine and Nightlight are from the book series that 'Rise of the Guardians' is based off of, so they aren't mine. I also changed their backstories around a little. If you want to know more about them than look them up. Also, Pitch used to be a good guy named Kozmotis but he was turned evil. Again, in the books it explains a bit more so look it up if you want. I hope you enjoyed this. Please review!)**


	14. Ch 14: The Dungeon

**(a/n: Wow, new chapter already? well please enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.14: The Dungeon

Hiccup and the others gathered around Katherine and the fallen Nightlight.

Rapunzel was crouched down by the guardian with her heart over the bloody wound on his chest. Katherine nodded "Do it".

Rapunzel began singing her song and her hair began to glow bright gold like the sun.

Hiccup, Astrid, Katherine and the others watched and hoped that Nightlight will recover. It had been several minutes since Pitch and Jack took Merida. Hiccup and the others recovered and they discovered that Nightlight had been impaled by Pitch.

Quickly, Rapunzel came to Nightlight's aid. To their amazement, they saw the wound seal itself up instantly.

Rapunzel finished her song and her hair stopped glowing. Nightlight didn't move. He laid there in Katherine's arms, silent and unmoving.

They waited for several moments they waited for something to happen. Still nothing.

Hiccup muttered, "Come on…please be ok". Several more minutes passed, still nothing.

Katherine shook Nightlight "Come on, get up. Please wake up" but Nightlight didn't. Nightlight was dead.

Katherine began to weep. Hiccup and the others consoled her.

* * *

Later, the group walked a short distance away from Katherine so she could mourn for her friend.

Hiccup and the Vikings began talking about the battle. When the subject of Merida came up, Snotlout asked, "Where are they taking her?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said a voice. Everyone turned and saw the Huntsman.

He was standing there with the Pied Piper, looking extremely angry "They're taking her to Rumpelstiltskin"

"So why are you still here?" asked Hiccup "You were hunting her too, aren't you guys on the same team?"

"We were" growled the Huntsman "Until the little dwarf decided to cut us loose"

the Piper played a few notes on his flute and the Huntsman translated "And without pay".

Hiccup's eyes widened and he said, "This is bad. We got to save her"

"We do?" said Astrid and the other Vikings.

Hiccup turned to his friends "Yes, we do" "No offense, but why should we?" said Ruffnut.

Hiccup frowned and he asked "Have you guys forgotten what Rumpelstiltskin has done to anyone he has captured? Do you know what he will do to Merida?"None of the Vikings answered. For several moments, nobody spoke. They all knew that anyone who was captured by the dwarf was never seen again.

Hiccup pleaded "Come on, we need to save her. Are we going to let Rumpelstiltskin kill an innocent girl?"

None of them answered. They all avoided Hiccup's gaze for several moments.

Finally, Astrid sighed "No". The others mumbled in agreement.

Snotlout mumbled, "Fine, we'll help you save your girlfriend"

"S-she's not my girlfriend" sputtered Hiccup.

Hiccup turned to Katherine. She heard parts of the conversation but she knew what they were talking about. She nodded.

The Viking turned to the Huntsman and the Piper. The Huntsman frowned "What?" "You want to come along?" asked Hiccup.

The hunter's yellow eyes narrowed "Why would I?"

"Well…I thought you would like to take revenge on Rumpelstiltskin" said Hiccup "considering that he betrayed you and didn't even pay you".

The Huntsman's yellow eyes bore into Hiccups and he eventually sighed "Fine". Hiccup smiled "Great, now lets go save Merida"

"Hold on a moment!" said a new voice. Everyone turned and saw Genevieve and Victor climbing up the hill.

The blind witch spoke "I couldn't help but notice that there are three flaws in that plan"

"What flaws?" asked Hiccup.

Genevieve listed them "First, Rumpel's castle is heavily guarded, not only by witches but also by an army of highly trained knights. Second, Rumpel's castle is very far away and we won't make it on time. Lastly, There are only about a dozen of us, against several thousand soldiers and thousands of witches".

Hiccup frowned "Oh, right".

The blind witch smiled "However, we have three things that work to our advantage"

"Really?" said Victor in surprise.

Genevieve nodded "First, Rumpel will take his time with getting rid of your friend. He has a massive ego and will throw a huge celebration, which would give us some extra time to get there. Second, there are rumors of a rebel army fighting against the dwarf as we speak and will gladly assist anyone fighting him. And lastly…" The witch smiled "You have me".

Astrid asked "What about you?" "She's the queen of all witches" said Victor. The Vikings stared at Genevieve in shock.

The Huntsman cut in "Even if the dwarf was throwing a celebration, we're still too far to travel on foot. By the time we arrive, we will be too late"

"Yes I suppose" said the witch nodding a little "However, I believe I have an idea for that".

Everyone stared at the witch in confusion and she whistled a single, high note that echoed for miles. The group waited there for a few minutes when suddenly a large black shape descended from the sky and landed right beside the witch.

Hiccup cried happily "Toothless!" he ran over and hugged his dragon.

Genevieve smiled "He had been following us in the hopes of catching up to you. I planned on using him to escape but I decided not to when help came in another form".

She stepped aside, revealing four tiny shapes. Hiccup squinted and he realized that they were cats. One was an adult cat with black fur, wearing boots and a mask. The rest were kittens with ginger fur, green eyes and they were dressed as musketeers.

Ruffnut raised an eyebrow "Cats?"

"Not just any cats" said Genevieve "This is Kitty Soft Paws and the three diablos"

"Hola" said Kitty in a female voice.

The Vikings looked at the cat in shock "S-she can talk?" breathed Astrid. The witch nodded "Yes, she can".

The Huntsman rolled his eyes saying, "Ok, we know she can talk. Now onto more important things" everyone turned to face the Huntsman and he continued "What is our plan of attack?"

Nobody said anything. Pretty soon everyone's eyes went straight to Hiccup.

Hiccup swallowed hard but said nothing. The Huntsman groaned, "Oh that's just great…"

"Richard" Genevieve chided gently "let the boy think".

Hiccup thought hard and finally said, "Ok…here's what we do" everyone gathered around the young Viking and he explained his plan.

* * *

The darkness around them vanished and Merida found herself standing in the middle of a grand throne room.

Hanging from the high ceiling was a crystal chandelier. The walls were covered in gorgeous artworks with a single work of art dominating the collection, an enormous painting of Rumpelstiltskin standing heroically on a mound of defeated enemies.

Pitch pulled her by the arm towards the throne at the far end of the throne room. Merida tried to dig in her heels but they just slid on the polished marble floors. Sitting on the throne was the dwarf himself. He wore white robes that were trimmed with gold. Atop his head was a golden crown decorated with sparkling jewels.

The dwarf drummed his fingers on the arm of his throne in a bored fashion.

When he saw Pitch, Jack and Merida, he jumped off of his throne exclaiming "You did it!"

"As promised" said Pitch. He shoved Merida forward. She stumbled and tripped then fell to the cold marble floor.

Rumpelstiltskin giggled "Perfect" he looked up at Pitch "Thank you"

"You're welcome" said Pitch casually "besides I needed something to pass the time…now that the Guardians are all gone". Rumpelstiltskin nodded in agreement.

Merida got up and she glared at Rumpelstiltskin. The dwarf smiled "Hello Merida, long time no see"

"Rumpelstiltskin" spat Merida "What do you want?"

"To make sure that you don't destroy my paradise" answered Rumpelstiltskin.

He turned and walked over to a pair of heavy, red curtains. The dwarf snapped his fingers and a pair of maids rushed into the room and drew back the curtains, letting in pale moonlight. Rumepelstiltskin snapped his fingers again and the maids rushed over to Merida and they dragged her over to the window.

Rumpelstiltskin gestured out the window "Behold, my kingdom"

Merida looked and she recognized it. It was the kingdom from her nightmare, when she first encountered Pitch. In her nightmare, it was grand and thriving but now it was in disarray. Homes were in ruin. Those that weren't mounds of rubble were shoddily rebuilt. Dotting the city were small fires and Merida could see shapes of people, shambling aimlessly through the streets dressed in rags.

Merida looked at Rumpelstiltskin in shock "This…this is horrible"

"I know" said the dwarf "And it's all thanks to you"

"Me?" said Merida in disbelief.

Rumpelstiltskin nodded "Yep. All because of your deal" he turned and he began walking back to his throne.

He explained "I see the world like a house of cards, take away one important card and the whole thing comes crumbling down"

When he reached his throne, the dwarf turned to face Merida and he said "And that is what I did. I took out an essential card and the house crumbled away. A new house was built in its place, in the process I shaped it to my liking as best I could".

Merida scowled "What are you talking about?"

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes "Its simple" he held up a hand and began counting off "First, you weren't born. In that long time gap, your parents made a deal with me then shunned me. So, I gathered up my army and destroyed them. Their destruction sent a message to the other kingdoms. I am a force to be reckoned with"

"You murdered them!" snarled Merida.

Rumeplstiltskin shook his head "No, no, I was merely collecting my payment for the deal. They refused to pay me and I rightfully took something else for payment" the dwarf shook his head "Anyway. My reputation grew and everyone knew that I always made good on my threats and deals. People started lining up for a deal. First, was this fine young lad" he pointed to Jack.

Merida looked over to the winter spirit and saw him looking down at his feet.

Rumpelstiltskin continued "He asked to be able to interact with humans without the red tape, so I granted his wish in exchange for his most prized possession" the dwarf held up a gold locket "His memories"

"Give them back!" demanded Jack "I did what you asked and you promised to return them"

Rumepstiltskin grinned "Of course. I always keep my promises" he tossed the locket to Jack.

Jack caught it and he a look of guilt appeared on his face. He looked to Merida saying, "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry. I need my memories."

Merida said nothing. She just glared at him. Pitch patted Jack on the shoulder.

Rumpelstiltskin resumed "Second was an old woman named Gothel. She used a magical flower to occasionally restore her youth but that flower was grounded up and fed to the very ill queen of this very kingdom. The power of that flower passed on to her daughter, Rapunzel"

Merida's eyes widened in shock. "I stole that baby and gave her to the old woman" said the dwarf.

He inspected his perfectly manicured nails saying, "Rapunzel's parents searched and searched but couldn't find her. Eventually they burned up all their wealth in search of their daughter. The search also took a toll on the kingdom's economy. In the end they turned to me. I gave the king the ability to produce gold at the slightest touch. Later, he refused to pay up because somebody found out that I took his daughter. Magical law clearly states that refusal to pay for your bargain, then the dealer has every right to take any action to fulfill payment"

"So you took his kingdom?" said Merida.

Rumpelstiltskin nodded "Yep".

He smiled "So you see Merida? Without you, I wouldn't be king of my own little kingdom. I would still be a lonely magical vagabond, wondering the muddy roads of some backwater country and dealing with brain dead yokels"

"You tricked me!" hissed Merida.

Rumpelstiltskin opened his mouth but his mouth closed and he nodded "I guess I did but hey, don't beat yourself up" he smirked "After all, its not entirely your fault that you pretty much obliterated thousands of lives and altered the course of history for your own selfish reasons"

The dwarf began cackling madly and Pitch joined in.

Merida clenched her fist and before anyone could react, she punched Rumpelstiltskin in the face and she attacked him.

The dwarf struggled to get away but Merida had him pinned to the floor and she began raining blows on him. She managed to get a few good punches before a giant, black sand golem plucked her off of the dwarf.

The two maids rushed to Rupmelstiltskin's side and they helped him up.

The dwarf's nose was bleeding and his face was covered in bruises.

He spat "Take her to the dungeon! I have to make preparations for the ceremony" his eyes narrowed and he said menacingly "I am going to enjoy watching you suffer, you repugnant little brat!"

The golem nodded and lumbered out of the throne room, carrying Merida in one hand. Pitch turned and he followed after the golem.

* * *

As the golem carried Merida towards the dungeon, Merida saw that Rumpel's castle was lavishly decorated with the finest furniture, artwork and other items.

They passed an open room where a bunch of women in black where drinking and feasting like there was no tomorrow.

When they passed a few servants, they bowed low and waited until the golem and Pitch were gone. The golem descended a long, grand staircase then through some corridors until it came to a wooden door.

Pitch opened the door and the golem lumbered through.

Merida realized that they were in a dungeon. Scattered torches faintly illuminated the long, dark corridor of cells. As they passed some cells, Merida peered inside each of them and saw that they were occupied. Men occupied some, women occupied some and various magical creatures like elves, gnomes and trolls occupied a few others.

The golem came to a stop at a cell and Pitch opened it. The golem tossed Merida inside and Pitch slammed the door.

Merida glared at the nightmare king and she demanded, "What are you going to do with me?"

"Rumpelstiltskin has something…special in store for you" said Pitch in a knowing tone.

Suddenly a loud, bloodcurdling roar echoed from somewhere inside the dungeon. Merida's heart skipped a beat and she asked, "What was that?"

"That…would be your surprise" said Pitch.

He grinned, "I'll give you a hint" he leaned closer to the bars and whispered "Your father fought him before. He was the one who took the king's leg and he is now craving your flesh"

Merida's eyes widened in horror "Mor'du"

Pitch nodded "Correct" he backed away from the bars and he chuckled "Goodbye and pleasant dreams" the nightmare king and the golem melted into the shadows and were gone.

* * *

Several minutes after Pitch departed, Merida tried to escape.

She tried kicking the door open, she tried slipping through the bars, she even tried to pick the lock but nothing worked.

Mor'du roared loudly and there were loud clangs. The demon bear was probably trying to break free so he could find and rip Merida to pieces.

As the bear roared some more, somebody yelled a woman "Hey, Roman!"

"What?" said a voice

"Tell Jeffery to shut the bear up" yelled the woman over Mor'du's roars.

The man named Roman was silent for a few moments then he yelled, "Ok, he's ready!"

When there was a break between Mor'du's howls, Merida heard a string instrument play a gentle tune followed by a voice singing a sorrowful song in a language she didn't recognize. Surprisingly, Mor'du went silent a minute after the song started and she heard a loud thud. The demon bear was asleep.

The singer stopped and there was a round of soft applause. Merida heard a voice behind her sigh "Finally".

Merida turned and saw a man dressed in shabby clothes sitting in the corner of the cell. He had long brown hair and a beard. He also looked to be in his early twenties.

The man said, "That bear has really gotten crazier than usual"

"What just happened?" asked Merida.

The man smiled "Jeffery sang him to sleep. He's good at that, considering he's an elf and all. Their music has amazing effects on animals and people".

The man looked at Merida and asked, "So…what'd you do to earn a special spot in Rumpel's dungeon?"

"Made a dealt with him" mumbled Merida.

The man nodded "Yeah, well I stole some of his silverware and sold it. I'm down here for life".

Merida walked over and she sat down by the man. The man held out a hand "Nice to meet you"

"I'm Merida" said Merida.

The man smiled "I'm Flynn, Flynn Rider"

"He's name's Eugene Fitzherbert!" A woman piped up.

Eugene scowled and he hissed "Mind your own business Nina!"

Merida grinned, "That's a nice name".

After the introductions, Flynn, or Eugene, asked "So…Tell me about yourself Merida, it's been a while since anyone new came down here. My old cellmate wasn't so chatty, even when they took him out and hung him."

Merida took a deep breath and told him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jack sat on the roof of one of the castle's towers looking down at the locket in his hand. He had finally got his memories back from Rumpelstiltskin.

For years Pitch had promised to help Jack get his memories, all in exchange for his unquestioning loyalty and obedience. Jack had followed Pitch's orders to the letter, spying on his enemies and defeating the Guardians. Jack would occasionally bring up the subject of his memories and Pitch would just drop hints of Jack's old life. Not much, but enough to keep Jack in line.

Now, hundreds of years later, he finally got what he wanted.

However, the winter spirit couldn't shake this feeling in his gut. Jack didn't know what it was but it made him feel horrible.

The winter spirit looked up at the moon and he began to wonder if he had made a horrible mistake.

End of chapter.

* * *

**(a/n: So, what do you think? sorry if its short, but whatever. Kitty Soft Paws is from 'Puss in Boots' the three diablos are from the short with the same name. Please review!)**


	15. Ch 15: A Flair for the Dramatic

**(a/n: Enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.15: A Flair for the Dramatic

Merida sighed and sat down in the far corner of her cell. It had been two days since she was thrown in the dungeon and so far, no sign of rescue.

To pass the time, Flynn, or Eugene, has been introducing Merida to some of the prisoners.

In the cell across from them was a woman named Nina, she was arrested for stealing from the castle's kitchen. Her cellmate was an ogre named Marco. He was arrested for being part of the resistance.

The cell next to them, there was Jeffery the elf musician and Roman the dwarf. They were arrested for just being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Merida took comfort in the fact that she wasn't alone down in the dungeon with Mor'du the demon bear who ate her father's leg.

As the hours rolled on, Merida heard some commotion coming from outside. She climbed up to the small window and peered through the bars and saw a busy courtyard.

In the courtyard, a group of servants were rushing back and forth. Some watched a black carriage roll up through the castle's gates. The carriage was pulled by a team of black horses and was escorted by knights in black armor. The carriage came to a halt and Merida strained to see who was inside.

Out stepped a beautiful raven-haired woman with pale skin and cold dark eyes. She was dressed in a beautiful black dress. Atop her head was a silver crown. Hanging from a gold chain around her throat was a small silver ring. The woman glared at the servants and they all bowed their heads to her.

Merida saw Rumpelstiltskin emerge from the castle "Ah, Regina! So good of you to come"

"A pleasure as always Rumpel" drawled the woman. The woman marched up the front and entered the castle, leaving the dwarf and the servants in the courtyard.

Eugene saw the whole thing as well. He muttered "Oh boy, that ain't good"

"Who was that?" asked Merida.

Eugene sighed "Regina, the Evil Queen. She rules a kingdom far away from here. They say she's just as bad as the dwarf, if not worse"

"Worse" said Nina

"Yeah" chimed Marco "They say she keeps a vault full of her victim's hearts so she can control them like puppets" Merida swallowed and made a note on avoiding Regina.

Eugene moaned "Oh no…"

Merida blinked and she saw another carriage enter through the gates. It was similar to Regina's in every way. When it came to a stop, a young man hopped out of the carriage. He had raven hair with some notable streaks of grey. The young man had a bored expression on his face; his emerald eyes were half closed. Merida was half expecting him to fall asleep right on the spot.

The young man wore a set of traveling robes over a suit that looked like a military uniform. At his side was a thin saber and perched atop his head was a golden crown. The young man yawned and scratched himself. Rumpelstiltskin grinned "Ah! Damien! How are you doing?"

"Bored" grumbled the young monarch.

Rumpelstiltskin gestured up the front steps "The servants shall show you to your room and if you want anything, don't hesitate to yell"

"Thanks" mumbled Damien. He marched up the stairs accompanied by a maid.

Another carriage pulled up and a young woman dressed in a long black cloak stepped out. She had short spiky black hair; a pale face, dark green eyes and she had a crow perched on her shoulder. The young woman carried a staff with a crystal orb on the top.

Rumpel smiled warmly "Ah, Maleficent! So good of you to accept my invitation"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world" said the young woman. She trudged past Rumpel and she entered the castle.

Finally, a single rider on horseback rode in through the gate with a single figure trying to keep up. The rider came to a halt and dismounted. A servant took the horse and led it away. Merida saw that the rider was a woman. She had red hair, a flawless complexion, and dark eyes. She wore male clothing and a thick over coat. The figure that was running to catch up was a troll dressed in moth eaten cloths.

Rumpelstilskin bowed his head "Muriel, how nice of you to stop by"

Muriel returned the gesture saying "It is good to see you again Rumpel".

Muriel and Rumpel marched up to the castle together with the troll following after them.

Merida and Eugene quickly stepped away from the window. Merida saw that Eugene was pale as snow.

She asked, "What is it?" "This is bad" said Eugene, grabbing his head "This is very, very bad"

"What's bad?" asked Merida. Eugene took a deep breath and explained "Rumpelstiltskin is preparing to kill you"

"What?" exclaimed Merida.

The thief sighed, "The dwarf had this elaborate celebration planned in case he caught you. He even had invitations sent out to the worst of the worst so they can join in on the celebration the moment he heard that you were captured"

"Who are they?" asked Merida, nodding to the window.

Eugene counted off "First there's Damian, a vicious little tyrant from a small country where he rules with an iron grip and executes anyone on a whim. Then there's Maleficent, she is a powerful witch who lives in the farthest corner of this kingdom. Then there's Muriel."

Eugene shivered "A very dangerous woman who is not to be trifled with". He swallowed hard and glanced up at the ceiling nervously.

The thief said quietly "If your friends are out there, I hope they rescue us soon."

* * *

Hiccup sighed, "Well that could've gone better".

Hiccup and the others were all locked up in one massive cage in the middle of a dense forest.

Two days ago, after burying Nightlight and gathering supplies, Hiccup and the others set out on their journey. Genevieve summoned a few more dragons and the group managed to cover a great distance much quicker than they would have if they had walked.

When they were about a mile from the heart of Rumpel's kingdom, the group dismounted and continued on foot. They traveled through dense forest for several hours then took a short break in a wide clearing. When their guard was down, they were each knocked out by darts that were dipped in a solution that can put them to sleep.

Hours later, they awoke in the massive cage.

At the moment, Astrid and the other Vikings were pacing, the Piper was playing a tune, Hansel and Gretel were busy sharpening their arrows, Victor, Genevieve and Rapunzel were chatting, the Huntsman was sharpening a stick with his ax, Katherine was reading a book and Kitty was busy trying to pick the lock with her claw.

After hours of trying, Kitty gave up growling "That is the toughest lock I have ever encountered".

The three diablos tried to escape but an invisible barrier kept them from slipping through the bars. Some of the others attempted to break the cage open but each attempt failed.

A few more hours passed and some one approached the cage. Hiccup saw that it was a man. He was dressed in a long, flowing robe and a hat. The man was old. He had a long white beard, white bushy eyebrows and he carried a wooden staff.

The old man studied the Huntsman, Astrid, Hansel and his sister and Hiccup silently for a moment then asked "Why are you here?"

"What?" said Hiccup.

The old man repeated "Why are you here?"

"You captured us" said Astrid. The old man shook his head "No. Why did you enter our forest? Do you work for Rumpelstiltskin?"

"No, we don't" said Hiccup. The Viking continued "We came to help a friend who is being held captive by Rumpelstiltskin"

"Oh?" said the old man, raising a bushy eyebrow "And who is this…friend?"

"Her name is Merida" said Hiccup "She made a deal with him that went horribly wrong. She tried to fix it and he captured her. He also murdered a friend of ours".

The old man studied Hiccup's expression for a few moments and saw that he wasn't lying. After a few silent moments, the old man asked, "Who was this friend of yours? The one who died?"

"He was a guardian" answered Hiccup "named Nightlight"

The old man's eyes widened in shock "What? H-he's dead?" Hiccup nodded.

The Viking asked, "Did you know him?"

The old man nodded "Yes…I did. He was a very good friend of mine. He took care of my adopted daughter when I was ill. He took her to my other friend, Osric, for safety when Pitch Black was on the loose" he glanced over Hiccup's shoulder and his eyes almost popped out of his skull "Katherine?"

"Ombric?" said Katherine in shock.

Hiccup and the others turned to Katherine in surprise "You know him?" asked Snotlout.

Katherine nodded "He's my father…my adopted father".

The old man lifted his staff and gently tapped the cage's door. A dome of energy appeared over the cage, enclosing it completely, then flickered out of sight. The door swung open and Katherine rushed out of the door and embraced her adopted father.

Ombric hugged her tightly saying, "I have missed you dearly"

"Me too" said Katherine.

When they broke the embrace, Ombric looked Katherine in the eye and asked "Is it true? Is he…?"

Katherine nodded "Yes. I saw him die before my very eyes"

"Who killed him?" asked the old man. Katherine answered without hesitation "Pitch Black and Jack Frost".

Ombric's expression hardened "So…they have returned".

The old man looked up to the others and waved "Come, follow me. We have much to talk about". Ombric turned and walked briskly away.

Hiccup and the others followed without being told again.

* * *

Ombric led the group through a dense part of the forest for a few minutes.

They crossed a wide river, climbed up a steep hill and walked some more until they came to a large encampment.

As they walked through the encampment, they saw a wide variety of figures watch them suspiciously, most where humans of various ages, some were ogres. There were a few elves, dwarfs, and trolls. Hiccup even saw a gryphon and a strange half man, half bull creature that Ombric called a Minotaur.

Ombric led the group through the encampment until they came to a large, white tent. They entered the tent and found it well furnished. The ground was covered in ancient rugs. Scattered around were some chairs and a large wooden table for dining and planning. Illuminating the tent were a few lamps with orange flickering flames.

Hiccup saw a group of figures gathered around a circular table in the center of the table. His eyes widened in shock at two particular figures "Dad? Gobber?"

"Hiccup" said Gobber, nodding to the young Viking and the others.

Stoick greeted Hiccup with a bear hug saying "I'm glad that you're safe"

"What's going on?" asked Hiccup and Astrid at once.

A voice spoke up "Allow me to explain"

Hiccup turned and saw another familiar face "Arthur?"

Arthur Pendragon, the king of Far, Far Away stood on the other side of the table with his cousin in law Shrek and his friends, Donkey and Puss.

Arthur asked Hiccup and the others to sit but none sat. The king sighed "Ok stand then".

Arthur took a deep breath and explained, "I am, partially, part of the resistance against Rumpelstiltskin. As are Stoick and Gobber"

"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Hiccup.

Stoick frowned "I couldn't. The dwarf was watching us very closely. The only time where he wasn't watching was when Merida kidnapped you"

"Indeed" said Arthur. The king continued "We joined with the resistance a few years ago. I lent support through weapons and food, Stoic and Gobber provided intelligence and tactics. Leading the main force is the former queen of this kingdom" he gestured to a woman with brown hair that had streaks of steel grey.

Arthur sighed, "So far we have had very few victories" Stoick and Gobber nodded with grim expressions on their faces.

Shrek cut in "However, we may have a very important opening tonight"

"Really?" asked Hiccup.

Arthur nodded "Yes but it is very risky" "How risky?" asked Astrid.

Arthur hesitated for a moment then answered, "It involves your friend Merida".

Hiccup felt his heart skip a beat then he asked nervously "W-what exactly is it?"

Arthur gestured for Hiccup and the others to gather around the table. On the table was an extremely detailed schematic of a grand castle and a large city surrounding it.

The king explained "Rumpelstiltskin is planning a very big celebratory feast for himself and his guests, in honor of Merida's capture"

"Ego maniac" hissed Puss

"no kidding" agreed Kitty.

Arthur resumed "He's inviting the most wicked, vile and dangerous people he has associated himself with over the years. They will all be gathered in the castle and be busy celebrating"

"And that is where we make our move" added Stoick.

Arthur nodded "Right" he pointed to a section of the map "These are a network of sewer tunnels that run under the city. We can use them as a way to get a small strike force into the city without alerting the guards".

Arthur moved his finger along the map "The strike force would then take out the guards at the gates, open the gates and let us in. We quickly storm the castle and take Rumpelstiltskin unaware".

Hiccup and the others nodded in approval. Rapunzel asked, "How is that a risk?"

"One false move could alert the guards" said Gobber "The guards warn Rumpelstiltskin and the strike force would be captured then killed".

Hiccup considered the plan for several moments then said softly "It's the only chance we got. We have to save her"

"Right you are" said Shrek.

Genevieve cut in "So who is going to be part of this strike force?"

Hansel, Gretel, the Huntsman and the Piper raised their hands and volunteered. Hiccup nodded and raised his hand as well. Kitty and Puss did as well.

Katherine volunteered but Genevieve asked her not to .

The witch smiled and whispered, "I have a plan and I need your help" Katherine nodded and lowered her hand.

Astrid and the others volunteered as well. Arthur looked around at the volunteers then nodded "Ok. We have our strike force"

"Now what?" asked Tuffnut

"We get ready" said Stoick "We strike at dusk".

* * *

The day slowly changed into night. Merida was pacing around in her cell anxiously.

An hour earlier, she saw a squad of guards in black armor and witches drag an unconscious Mor'du down the corridor and out of the dungeon. Eugene tried his best to help lighten the mood but with each passing minute, Merida felt a sense of impending doom growing closer.

The sun had gone down and there was a great commotion coming from outside and the upper floors.

Some guards entered the dungeon and dragged Jeffery and Nina away.

Another group of guards entered the dungeon and dragged Roman, Marco and Eugene.

Before they took him away, Eugene whispered to Merida "Don't give him what he wants. Don't beg, no matter what"

Merida promised not to and the soldiers dragged the thief away. The redhead sat in the corner of her cell, alone and scared. She waited anxiously for the guards to return. Suddenly, she heard a door slam and footsteps.

Rumpelstiltskin stopped outside of the cell. He wore an expensive white and gold royal robe with a white powdered wig on his head and curly toed boots on his feet.

The dwarf grinned smugly at Merida "Times up Merida". He snapped his fingers and two guards opened her cell. They stepped inside and grabbed Merida by the arms then pulled her to her feet.

Rumpel turned on his heels and he marched out of the dungeon with the guards and Merida following closely behind.

* * *

They made their way through the halls of Rumpel's castle until they came to a spacious hall. The hall was lavishly decorated.

Crimson banners hung from the ceiling along with a crystal chandelier. At one end of the spacious hall was a long white table where Rumpel's guests sat.

At the far end was Regina, next to her was Muriel, then Maleficent and Damien. Pitch sat at the other end, sipping something from a goblet in his hand.

Merida saw Marco, Roman and Eugene standing behind them, dressed as servants and holding trays. The three were all manacled together so none of them could make a break for the exits.

She saw Jeffery and Nina standing nearby on a platform. Jeffery was singing a melancholy song and Nina strummed away on a stringed instrument. The two were manacled together as well.

Rumpelstiltskin clapped his hands together and Jeffery stopped playing.

The dwarf spoke "Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you our guest of honor, Princess Merida of DunBroc" the guests all clapped.

Pitch held up his goblet in a toast and Damien just winked at Merida, making her shiver.

The dwarf continued "We also have a surprise for our guest" he clapped and a set of massive doors on the far end of the hall slowly began to open.

Rumpel announced dramatically "All the way from the Scottish Highlands, the one beast no man has ever been able to slay. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the demon bear Mor'du!"

The doors finally opened and the bear came lumbering in on all fours. The bear was much bigger than Merida had ever imagined. He easily dwarfed her father if he stood on his hind legs. The bear had scars on its face and old broken weapons stuck in its back.

Rumpel snapped his fingers and the guard's shoved Merida towards Mor'du.

She stumbled forward a few inches and tripped over a bold black line on the marble floor. Merida got up and tried to run but she ran into an invisible barrier that started from the solid black line. The line ran from one end of the hall to the other, separating her and the others from each other.

Rumpelstiltskin chuckled "nice try kiddo, but no more running".

Merida tried to punch Rumpel in the face but her fist only collided with the barrier.

She turned and saw Mor'du staring her down, snarling at her and drooling.

* * *

Meanwhile, soaring across the night sky and away from Rumpel's castle was Jack Frost.

The wind rushed through his hair and whipped at the locket that hung around his neck. Jack had finally got his reward and was home free.

But somewhere, deep down, he just couldn't shake the feeling that he should go back.

The winter spirit landed in a clearing and pulled the locket off the string around his neck. Jack was anxious about opening it. Part of him was afraid of what he might find and didn't want to open it.

But a larger part of him wants to know about his past and put this whole thing behind him.

Jack took a deep breath and he opened the locket.

* * *

Merida was sweating profusely and her heart was thumping away in her chest. For a good half hour, she had been avoiding Mor'du.

Luckily for her, the area they were in was big enough for her to dodge and avoid the bear.

But the bear was growing angrier and Merida was slowly growing wearier. She glanced over to the other side of the barrier and saw Eugene and the other prisoners watch helplessly, while Rumpelstiltskin watched with great anticipation. His guests, weren't as invested but they pretended to care.

Pitch was the only one who seemed genuinely interested. Regina was playing with the food on her plate, Damien was chatting with Maleficent and Muriel had her feet up on the back of the troll who was accompanying her.

Merida snapped out of her thoughts when Mor'du swiped at her head. She ducked and sprinted away, trying to find a weapon.

Rumpelstiltskin cried out "Common! Finish her! Rip her apart!"

"Yeah fight or…whatever" mumbled Damien as he drained his goblet of wine and returned to his conversation.

Mor'du bellowed and he swiped at Merida, that strike connected with her back, knocking her off her feet. Merida felt a blinding pain coming from her back. She reached back and lightly touched the injury, sending a shock of pain through her body. Merida looked down at her hand and saw blood.

Rumpelstiltskin cheered and shouted, "Now finish her!" She looked up and saw Mor'du rearing up on his hind legs and was ready to strike. Merida closed her eyes and waited for the final strike.

But nothing happened.

She opened her eyes then looked up, and saw that Mor'du was encased in a solid block of ice. Standing between her and the bear was Jack Frost.

Rumpel spat out his drink "What the!?"

"Jack?" said Pitch, sounding mildly surprised.

Jack turned to Merida and asked, "You ok?"

"Yeah" mumbled Merida. She scowled at him "What are you doing here?"

"I've been a complete idiot" said Jack "I shouldn't have turned you over in exchange for my memories" "Ya think?" said Merida angrily.

Jack nodded "I know I've messed up but please let me make it up to you".

Merida was still angry at Jack for betraying her but at the moment, she needed help to escape. Grudgingly, she nodded saying, "Fine".

Jack helped her up and he noticed some large gashes in her back "We got to get that looked at"

"Hold it right there!" barked Rumpelstiltskin. The dwarf jumped up onto the table and stomped over to the barrier "Where do you think you're going?"

"We're leaving" said Jack.

Rumpel snarled, "You're not going anywhere!"

"Really?" questioned Jack raising an eyebrow "And who's going to stop us?"

"Just me" said Rumpel "And my guards!" almost on cue, the doors on the far side of the hall opened. But instead of Rumpel's guards, in stepped Hiccup wielding short sword. Accompanying him were The Huntsman, the Piper, Hansel, Gretel, Astrid, the other Vikings and Victor.

Rumpel's face went white and he quickly skittered away.

His guests all looked mildly surprised. Regina tossed her napkin aside and stood "Well, I've had my fill of fun for the evening but I must get going. I have a certain someone to eliminate as well." She bowed her head to Rumpel and she vanished in a puff of purple smoke.

Damien and Maleficent shared a glance, the witch whispered something in the young tyrant's ear and pecked him on the cheek. She then vanished in a puff of black smoke.

Damien breathed while rubbing his cheek "Awesome".

Muriel tossed aside her goblet saying, "Well, it looks like I'm going to burn off those extra calories after all" she got up and cracked her knuckles.

"This evening has gotten much more interesting" mused Pitch, rising from his seat and summoning a black sand scythe.

The doors behind Rumpel opened and about a dozen guards in black armor poured in.

The Huntsman glared at Victor "I thought you said you took care of them"

"Oops" said the mad doctor as he grinned sheepishly. Rumpel gritted his teeth and screamed "Get them!"

End of chapter.

* * *

**(a/n: Well, what do you think? Ombric is another character from the books that 'Rise of the guardians' is based off of. He really is Katherine's adopted father. Regina is from 'Once upon a time' Murial is from 'Hansel & Gretel: Witch hunters' And Damien and Maleficent...well Damien's my own creation and Maleficent is just my own version. Anyway, please review!)**


	16. Ch 16: The Price of Magic

**(a/n: here we go, we're almost done. Up next is the epilog. Please enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.16: The Price of Magic

Chaos erupted as Rumpel's guards and the intruders clashed in the main dining hall.

Merida watched as Hiccup and the others fought Rumpel's soldiers. Damien jumped up from his seat shouting, "Have at thee you filthy peasants!" he drew his sword to join the fight but he was knocked out by a tranquilizer dart to the chest.

After the young tyrant was knocked out, Victor swiped Damien's sword and began fighting a pair of knights.

The Huntsman was mowing down guards with his crossbow and when he ran out of bolts, he resorted to using his bare hands. He knocked down anyone who dared challenged him. The hunter growled, "I'm coming to get you dwarf!"

Rumpelstiltskin paled and he ducked as one of his soldiers went flying over him.

The Piper played a tune that made most of the soldiers drop to their knees screaming in pain.

Several witches arrived but Hansel and his sister took shots at them with their crossbows and guns.

Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut held their own against a large number of knights.

Merida saw Rumpelstiltskin quickly pushing his way through the battle in a desperate attempt to flee. Jack noticed as well and he used his staff to smudge out the black line that formed the boarder and the magic of the barrier shattered.

The winter spirit grinned at Merida "Go get him"

"Thanks" said Merida and she took off running after the dwarf.

Unbeknownst to everyone in the hall, the ice block containing Mor'du began to crack and the demon bear let out a low angry growl.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin raced through down the corridor at top speed, Merida sprinted after him and was planning on pummeling him to a pulp.

The dwarf darted around a corner and he skidded to a halt.

The main entrance hall was being flooded by hundreds of rebel's and angry peasants. Leading them were Katherine, Genevieve, Shrek and a number of other ogres.

A large number of witches and knights struck back at the flood of angry invaders.

Puss, Kitty and the diablos took down several knights alone, Shrek, Donkey and the ogres mowed right through a pair of witches and Genevieve used her own magic to cause her enemies to explode or catch fire with mere gestures.

Rumpelstiltskin backed away a little mumbling "Oh poop"

"You!" snarled about a dozen angry villagers who saw the dwarf.

The dwarf quickly darted away and down another corridor with Merida and several armed and angry peasants hot on his heels.

* * *

Back in the dining hall, the battle was faring well for the resistance.

Most of the knights and witches had been either slain or knocked out, leaving the only Muriel, Pitch and a few knights as the only combatants.

Pitch summoned a massive wave of black sand and washed away Astrid, the Vikings, and the Huntsman. He quickly formed a scythe with his sand and he was ready to decapitate Hiccup who was busy fighting a knight but Jack blocked Pitch's attack with his staff.

The nightmare king scowled "So…this is how you're going to thank me? After all I have done for you?"

"You lied to me" snarled Jack "You manipulated me and murdered my friends"

"I guess I did" admitted Pitch "But, I was good on my promise, I gave you your memories back"

"After you had them stolen" retorted Jack.

The nightmare king shrugged "What can I say, I'm a bad man".

Jack hurled a blast of ice at Pitch. Pitch blocked it and retaliated with a swing of his scythe.

As the former guardian and the nightmare king clashed, Hansel and Gretel had Muriel on the ropes.

The witch's appearance had changed. Her skin had turned to a light grey, her eyes were icy blue and her teeth became jagged and sharp. Muriel was covered in bruises and blood. She was trying to catch her breath "Please…no more" her appearance returned to that of a normal red haired woman, trying to gain some sympathy from the two witch hunters.

Hansel and Gretel shared a look then Hansel said "Yeah, nice try" he kicked the witch in the chest, sending her stumbling back into the dining table.

The witch hunter glanced to the Huntsman "Ax!" "Here you go!" said the hunter, tossing Hansel his ax.

Hansel quickly raised his ax and swung down at Muriel, decapitating her and splattering blood all over the place. Some of the blood splashed Damien's face.

The young tyrant twitched and he got up, rubbing his head groaning, "What happened?" he got up and began wandering the hall as the battle between Pitch and Jack raged.

Jack was faring well against the nightmare king but Pitch was quickly gaining the upper hand. Pitch summoned a pair of massive black sand golems. The sand golems attacked but Jack froze one and was barely able to slice one in half with a blast of ice magic.

When he was distracted with the golem, Pitch summoned a bow and arrow made of his black sand. He nocked the arrow and drew back the bow string.

The Nightmare king aimed for Jack's heart and he muttered to himself "Sweet dreams Jack" but suddenly something struck Pitch on the back of his head. The bow and arrow disintegrated and Pitch quickly spun around to see what hit him.

Standing there was Katherine, holding a golden goblet in her hand and she looked ready to lob it at his head.

Pitch scowled "Oh, its you" he glided over to the girl until he was only a few feet away. Katherine stood her ground. The nightmare king used his sand to form a sword. He was ready to cut down the little girl but suddenly the girl used the goblet in her hand and splashed a glowing blue liquid in his face.

The liquid had a foul stench and it stung his eyes. Pitch quickly wiped away the liquid and when he turned his attention back to Katherine, he saw that she was gone. In her place was a small raven-haired girl wearing a golden dress. Around her neck hung a small golden locket with a sun emblem stamped on it.

The girl looked up at Pitch, her eyes were gold like his and she said softly "Father?"

Pitch's eyes widened in horror "No…no…you're dead"

"Father, why did you leave me?" asked the girl, tears coming to her eyes.

The nightmare king shook his head "No…I didn't leave you, I-I was trying to save you"

The girl began to weep "You left me alone in the darkness…the monsters came…I was so scared. I tried calling for you but you never came. You promised that you would"

"That's not true" said Pitch. He knelt down to meet the girl's eye level "I…I did promise that I would be there if you ever needed me"

"Then why didn't you help me?" asked the girl. Pitch didn't answer.

The girl spat "You broke your promise! You lied to me!" "No, no, no I didn't" said Pitch as his voice began to break.

The girl turned her back to her father "Go away, I don't want to see you ever again" "I'm sorry" said Pitch as his eyes began to water.

The girl didn't respond. For the first time in centuries, Pitch felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and sorrow. Tears began streaming down his face.

Pitch said softly "Please…I'm sorry. I should've been there. I-I should've done something. I am very, very sorry for what happened to you and your mother. Please, forgive me"

The girl turned to face Pitch and she smiled a little "I forgive you father".

Pitch embraced his daughter tightly saying softly "I will never let you go, never again".

* * *

Katherine stood there holding her breath, trying not to move as Pitch hugged her.

The potion that Genevieve gave her was a super strength dream potion that would make the victim experience their deepest, most personal dreams while they were awake, which made it the perfect weapon to distract someone as powerful as Pitch.

At first, it worked very well. But things got a little strange when Pitch started hugging her and begging for her forgiveness.

The only thing Katherine could do was just stand there and hope the potion doesn't wear off.

* * *

As Merida chased after Rumpelstilskin, they passed a bunch of rooms that were being looted by villagers and his own soldiers. The dwarf wanted nothing more than to stop them but he had to get away from the angry Scottish princess. But luckily, he lost the angry villagers when some of his knights ambushed them.

Rumpelstilskin darted past some skirmishes between some of his witches and some elves and dwarves.

Merida saw a bow and two arrows lying on the floor near a room where a pair of archers was busy firing on invaders. She picked up the bow and nocked the arrow. She fired at the fleeing dwarf. The arrow whizzed through the corridor and it knocked Rumpel's powdered wig off his head.

She loaded the next arrow and fired. The second arrow ripped through the dwarf's robes and landed in a wall.

Rumpelstiltskin squeaked and he ran faster.

Merida had to admit Rumpel was fast runner. "Need a hand?" asked a voice.

Merida glanced over and saw Jack standing behind her. She nodded. Jack lowered his finger to the floor and suddenly a thick layer of ice blanketed the entire floor in the corridor. The dwarf slipped and fell then slid through an open doorway.

Jack helped Merida skate down the corridor until they reached the doorway Rumpel slid through.

On the other side was a balcony overlooking the sea. The two saw that the dwarf was trying to jump to another balcony a few feet away, but Toothless landed on the second balcony, effectively blocking his escape route and growled.

Rumpelstiltskin scrambled away from the dragon and he tried to retreat through the door he entered but saw Merida and Jack.

The dwarf slowly started backing away from them "Now, now, don't do anything you might regret"

"It's over Rumpelstiltskin" said Merida "give up"

"Ok, ok, just don't hurt me" said the dwarf.

Merida shook her head "I won't hurt you" "Thank you" said the dwarf, sounding relieved but Merida continued, "However, you must rip up my contract"

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes widened "What?"

"Do it" said Jack, aiming his staff at the dwarf "Or I'll make you into a nice little snowman".

The dwarf paused for a moment and considered his options.

He glanced at the dragon that sat on the second balcony glaring at him then to the redhead and the winter spirit.

Eventually, Rumpelstiltskin conceded defeat, "Fine, ok".

* * *

Jack and Merida dragged Rumpel back to the dining hall.

Along the way, villagers and members of the resistance cheered and chucked rotten vegetables at the dwarf.

When they finally reached the dining hall, they found Hiccup and the others chaining up the surviving knights who surrendered while Hansel, Gretel, the Huntsman and some of the others gathered up the dead.

Damien was still wandering around aimlessly with blood splattered all over his face. He wasn't causing any trouble so they left the dazed tyrant alone.

Even though they won, there were casualties for the rebels. Among them were some dwarfs, elves, a troll and some humans who were being treated by a team of healers and doctors on the far side of the vast dining hall. A few people were mourning their dead.

Merida saw Victor among the dead. The mad doctor had a large bloody stab wound in his chest. She saw Genevieve kneeling by his body holding his hand.

Merida felt a little guilty, considering that Victor and all these people were there to rescue her and end Rumpelstiltskin's tyrannical reign.

Jack shoved Rumpelstiltskin forward and the Huntsman grabbed him by the collar of his robes and lifted him off the ground.

The dwarf gulped and stuttered "W-what are you going to do to me?"

"I'm just here for my back pay" said the Huntsman "Or should I say payback!" He pulled out a dagger and was ready to slit the dwarf's throat open but he was stopped when a voice commanded "Stop!"

The hunter lowered his dagger and looked to the door.

Standing there was Stoick, Arthur, Rapunzel, and Rapunzel's birth mother the Queen.

The Huntsman glared at Rumpel and grunted, "It's your lucky day. I was all set on skinning you and turning you into a blanket" The dwarf chuckled nervously.

The Huntsman tossed Rumpel to a pair of ogres who clapped a pair of manacles onto his wrists.

Rumpelstiltskin sighed deeply. Damien stumbled by, still in a daze murmuring "What a party…"

Merida scowled at Rumpelstiltskin "Remember, our deal?"

"Yes, I remember" said Rumpelstiltskin. He glanced at the ogres holding him and asked "Could you carry me to the table? Please?" The ogres nodded.

They carried the dwarf over to the dining table and shoved him into a seat. Rumpelstiltskin snapped his fingers and a pair of maids approached the table carrying a roll of parchment, a white-feathered quill and a white inkbottle.

The dwarf sighed, "Lets get down to business" he cracked his knuckles, he dipped his quill into the inkbottle and he began writing.

Merida, Jack and Hiccup stood there and watched as Rumpelstiltskin drafted a new contract.

* * *

Meanwhile, Stoick, Arthur and the Queen assessed the damage of the battle. Outside in the city, there had been some fire damage from the fire spells that came from the witch squads that patrolled the sky.

There was some battle damage around the castle. Some scorched marble, vandalized paintings, and destroyed furniture.

But overall, there was less damage than they had expected.

The Queen told Rapunzel that with a bit of help from Arthur's kingdom, they would rebuild their kingdom and restore it to its former glory.

* * *

Hours slowly passed as Merida and the others waited for Rumpelstilskin to complete his new deal.

Merida noticed that the dwarf was glancing around nervously from time to time. Something wasn't right but Merida just shrugged.

Jack found a doctor to treat Merida's wounds. The doctor cleaned her wounds to prevent infection and started applying some bandages.

As the doctor did his work on Merida's wounds, she saw Pitch sitting with Genevieve who had Katherine resting her head in the witch's lap.

The witch was singing a song softly in Gaelic to Katherine, gently brushing some locks of auburn hair out of the young girl's face, as the girl slowly drifted off to a peaceful slumber.

Pitch listened intently, staring at the witch affectionately.

Merida's eyebrows rose when she saw the nightmare king lean over and kiss the witch queen on the cheek whispering that he loved her and that he had missed her dearly.

Genevieve smiled warmly and told him that she loved him too.

Hiccup explained to Merida that Genevieve made a potion that Katherine used on Pitch. He went on to explain that was making Pitch experience a dream while he was awake and the dream that the nightmare king was currently having made him believe that Katherine and Genevieve were his long deceased daughter and wife.

Hiccup shrugged "It should wear off by morning. By then, we'll be long gone. But for now, the witch and Katherine are just playing the parts".

* * *

Finally, Rumpel dropped his quill into the inkbottle and announced, "I'm done".

Jack picked up the finished contract and inspected it. After a few minutes of reading, Jack looked up from the roll of parchment saying, "Everything seems fine".

Merida smiled "Good".

With Jack and the others distracted, Rumpelstiltskin reached into the sleeve of his robes and he whipped out a bottle of blue liquid. He uncorked it and poured a few drops on to is manacles. The liquid bubbled and hissed softly as it ate away at the metal.

Quietly, Rumpelstiltskin slipped out of his restraints and he slid out of his chair. He tiptoed away.

Before he could reach the door at the other end of the hall, a dagger whizzed by the dwarf's head and embedded itself in the door.

Rumpelstiltskin turned and he saw the Huntsman glaring at him. The hunter growled, "Going somewhere?"

"Uh…I was stepping out for some fresh air" lied Rumpel feebly.

The Huntsman was about to grab the dwarf when suddenly there was a loud crash and a loud roar.

Everyone turned and saw that Mor'du had shattered his icy prison. People quickly evacuated the room to escape the demon bear's wrath.

Stoick, Shrek, the Huntsman and several others moved to contain the bear. Mor'du roared and swiped at his attackers. The bear snapped Stoick's ax in half with a single powerful swipe. The Huntsman jumped onto Mor'du's back and tried to use his own ax to strangle the bear.

The demon bear thrashed around, snarling and swiping furiously in an attempt to shake the Huntsman off. Mor'du reared back on his hind legs and backed into a wall. He repeatedly slammed the Huntsman against the wall until he finally let go.

The bear's eyes locked on to Merida. He let out a bloodcurdling roar and he took off. Mor'du lumbered past Stoick and Shrek, making a beeline for Merida.

Jack jumped in-between them and rasied his staff. The winter spirit unleashed a powerful wave of winter magic at the bear. The icy winds slowed the demon bear down a little but he was still charging them head on.

Jack pushed Merida back with one hand just as Mor'du made one final attack on them. The winter spirit took a deep breath and unleashed everything he had.

A thick haze enveloped Jack and Mor'du, there was a loud crack and then everything went very silent.

Through the haze, Merida saw Mor'du encased in an even bigger block of ice than before.

Jack stood there, holding his staff. It split into two pieces. His knees wobbled and he sank to the floor.

The moment he fell, Merida, Hiccup, and some of the others who were still in the room rushed over to Jack's side to see if he was injured.

To her horror, Merida saw a large, bloody gash in Jack's chest that ran deep. Jack was coughing and gasping for air.

Hiccup's eyes widened in shock "Oh man" "What do we do?" asked Merida.

A healer rushed forward and tried to heal Jack's injuries with magic. However something was interfering with the healer's magic, making the wound remain the same. Rapunzel tried to heal Jack but got the same result. Merida began to panic.

She asked Genevieve "What's wrong with them? Why can't their magic heal him?"

"Probably something to do with Mor'du" answered the blind witch "I heard somewhere that any injury caused by the demon bear negates any magical remedy, spells, potions elixirs you name it. Any remedy using magic is worthless".

Merida's heart stopped for a moment. She asked, "Isn't there anything you can do?"

"No" said the witch sadly. She paused suddenly and an idea came to mind "However, there is something that can, something that doesn't count as a remedy"

"What?" asked Merida feeling a little hopeful.

The witch gestured to the dining table "The contract".

Merida glanced over to the table and saw the new contract Rumpelstiltskin had written. Jack had dropped it when Mor'du broke free. She walked over to the table to retrieve it but Rumpel ran over and he quickly shoved the contract into his mouth.

Before Merida could force Rumpel to cough it up, the dwarf swallowed the contract whole.

She stared at him in shock "Why did you do that?"

"If I can't have my happily ever after, neither can you" said Rumpel, smirking.

Furious, Merida punched Rumpel in the gut and she moved to punch him until he was a bloody pulp but Genevieve placed a hand on the girl's shoulder saying, "Stop".

Merida looked up at the blind witch "But he ate the contract"

"I wasn't referring to that contract," said Genevieve. She held up her hand and in a puff of violet smoke a small paper heart appeared in her hand.

The witch handed Merida the paper heart saying, "I was referring to this one".

Merida inspected the paper heart and she realized that it was the contract that got her into this mess. She saw the escape clause written along the edges of the paper heart. Merida looked up at Genevieve and asked, "Would it work?"

"Yes" said the blind witch "but as I have warned you, magic always comes at a price and the price of breaking this contract will make you regret this decision for the rest of your life."

Merida gulped and asked nervously "What is it?"

"Jack will forget about you" answered Rumpel, as he picked himself off the ground. He smirked a little "He will forget that he ever knew you, everyone will forget about you. All that you have experienced, all the people you have met, it will not have happened at all. Nobody, except for you, myself and a select few will remember any of this"

Merida's eyes widened in shock. Jack won't remember her? She looked around the hall at the various faces of her friends. Hiccup, Astrid, Shrek, Rapunzel, the Huntsman, Hansel, Gretel…none of them would remember her.

All that she had done for the past two weeks, all the things she had seen…it would all be a distant memory.

At first, Merida was hesitant to want to break the contract but eventually it dawned on her. Merida asked Genevieve "Will Jack be healed?"

The witch nodded "Yes, but he won't remember you. He will be back to the way he was before the deal. Whatever that was".

She took a deep breath and Merida eventually nodded "Ok. I will do it".

* * *

Merida approached Jack. The healer backed away and the others backed away slowly to give the two room.

When she was by his side, Merida knelt down and took Jack's hand into her own.

The winter spirit looked up at her, his breathing became hitched and ragged "…Merida"

"Jack" said Merida softly.

Jack winced in pain and he wheezed, "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…for everything. I was an idiot"

"You were" said Merida "But you made up for it".

Jack chuckled a little then winced in pain, groaning a little. He looked up at Merida saying softly "I guess we did it. We won"

"Yeah" said Merida smiling a little. She leaned in closer to his face.

Jack frowned "What are you doing?"

"Well, you rescued a princess," said Merida "And in most stories, the princess would reward her rescuer with a kiss".

Before Jack could say anything, Merida planted a kiss on his lips. The winter spirit's lips were as cold as ice but Merida didn't notice. After what seemed like an eternity, Merida broke off the kiss. Jack looked a little surprised and a little happy at the same time.

The winter spirit smiled "Well, that was a new one. I never really kissed royalty before".

He let out a small chuckle but he winced in pain one more time. He coughed several times then Jack laid his head down, his eyes slowly closed and then he went silent. Nobody said anything for several long minutes.

In the distance, everyone heard a bell chime loudly.

Genevieve murmured, "It's midnight. We shall see if it worked".

Everyone waited in tense silence for a moment. There was nothing. The bells continued to chime in the distance.

A few more moments of waiting and there was still nothing.

Suddenly, Rumpelstiltskin laughed triumphantly "Ha! It didn't work!" he began to cackle but Hiccup smacked the dwarf on the back of the head.

Merida began to tear up, feeling an overwhelming sense of anger, guilt and sorrow.

But suddenly and without warning, the castle shook once. Everyone froze in place. The castle shook again, this time more violently and a little longer. It continued to shake, growing in intensity and duration.

The marble floor cracked and split. A powerful gust of wind blew through the dining hall. Rumpel's eyes widened in horror "No…no! It's not fair! It's not fair!"

Merida watched as Jack's body vanished in a puff of gold smoke. She heard people gasping. She glanced around her and saw people vanishing in a puff of gold smoke as well.

Hansel and his sister waved goodbye to Merida as they disintergrated into golden smoke.

Puss, Kitty, the diablos and Donkey held on to each other tightly as they vanished together.

Astrid, Stoick, Hiccup and the other Vikings were swept up by a wave of golden smoke and were gone. Merida turned to Genevieve and saw the blind witch holding hands with Pitch, who was still under the influence of her potion.

The witch queen bowed her head to Merida saying "Goodbye, Merida. Someday, our paths shall cross again".

With that, the king and queen vanished like all the others.

The wind howled louder and louder as it grew stronger and stronger. Merida heard a loud crack and saw the walls of the castle starting to crumble.

Rumpel screamed over the howling of the wind "No! It's not fair! Give it back!"

Merida and the dwarf stood alone as the castle around them crumbled and turn into a vortex of gold smoke. The wind screamed in their ears and the two were suddenly yanked off their feet and pulled into the air.

The two were carried up higher and higher into the swirling storm of gold.

Merida couldn't help but let out a scream and suddenly, the two were sent hurtling back to earth.

* * *

As soon as they hit solid ground, the smoke disappeared and the two found themselves in the middle of a dark forest.

Merida looked around her and she recognized this part of the forest. It was where she met Rumpelstiltskin.

Speaking of the dwarf, he stood a few feet away from her. His face was red with anger and he was jumping up and down screaming "No fair, no fair!"

Rumpelstiltskin turned to face her and he said through gritted teeth "You took away my happy ending!"

"Happy?" said Merida "If that was what you call happiness, I'm glad that I did"

Rumpel snarled and he looked ready to kill Merida but suddenly his face went white as chalk. He backed away slowly then he took off running in the opposite direction screaming, "Run for it!"

Merida frowned in confusion. She felt a warm breath on the nape of her neck. Merida slowly turned and she saw sitting on all fours was Mor'du.

The demon bear must've escaped his icy prison when the contract broke. Merida began backing away from Mor'du but suddenly slipped and fell flat on her back. Mor'du reared back on his hind legs and let out a loud roar.

Merida waited for the bear to attack but she heard a male voice shout "Oi! Beastie!" the bear stopped and looked toward the source of the voice.

Merida followed the bear's gaze and saw a figure in a brown hooded traveling cloak. The figure was tall, hunched over and was leaning on a crutch. The bear snarled menacingly but the figure hobbled over and smacked the demon bear on the snout with his crutch.

"Be gone with ye!" growled the figure. Mor'du backed away a little, looking a little confused.

The figure pointed his crutch at the bear and warned "If I see ye threatening this fair lass one more time, I shall skin ye alive and fashion your sorry hide into a nice rug for my new abode".

Merida blinked in surprise. This man was obviously mad for threatening the demon bear that was rumored to have slain and eaten thousands of brave men who tried to kill him over the years.

But to her surprise, Mor'du turned and lumbered away.

The man turned to face Merida "You ok lass?" Merida nodded.

The man helped her to her feet. From the accent and his clothing, Merida figured that the man was probably from a nearby village. She noticed that he had long wiry hair and eyes that gleamed a little in the faint moonlight.

The man asked sounding concern, "What is a young girl like yourself doing out here alone? Don't ye have a family? A home?"

Merida nodded and lied a little "I was lost" "Your parents must be worrying about you" said the man.

Merida remembered her parents and her brothers. With deal broken, they were alive and hadn't died in the horrible battle against Rumpel and his army.

The man asked, "Where do you live?" "Castle DunBroch" answered Merida.

The man paused for a moment and said, "That's not far. Lets go"

Merida and the man walked side by side out of the small clearing and started traveling through the dark forest towards home.

* * *

As they made their way through the forest towards Castle DunBroch, Merida asked the strange man a question "Who are you?"

"Just a poor penniless traveler, searching for his son" answered the man.

Merida frowned "What happened to him? Your son?"

"I was…obsessed with magic. I was so obsessed with acquiring it that drove me mad" said the man softly "He tried to help me but in the end he ran away. I didn't mean to drive him away, I love him dearly but I just can't let go of this new power. Without it, I'm nothing but dust".

Merida felt some sympathy for the man, loosing a loved one to magic.

The man asked Merida "Why were you out in these dangerous woods at this late hour?"

"I ran away from home" said Merida. She explained what happened between her mother and herself.

The man listened quietly and when Merida completed her tale, the man said "I'm sure your mother was only doing what she thought was best"

"I know" said Merida, feeling a little guilty about the argument and ruining the tapestry.

The man sighed deeply and said "Go to her, talk with her. She'll listen to you"

"Will she?" asked Merida.

The man nodded "I'm not exactly the best father in the world but when my son and I get into spats like this, I would take time to calm down then I would sit down and listen to what Bae had to say".

Merida considered the man's advice and nodded slowly "Thank you".

* * *

Eventually, Merida and the man reached the edge of the forest.

Up ahead in the distance was Castle DunBroch. Merida saw the castle as she had left it, before the deal with Rumpelstiltskin.

The man let out a sigh and said "There we are, Castle DunBroch" he glanced over to Merida "Go ahead, mend things with your mother".

Merida smiled "Thank you…" "Gold" said the man "Mr. Gold" he bowed his head to Merida and he marched back into the forest.

Once Mr. Gold was gone, Merida took a deep breath and she took off running towards the castle.

End of chapter

* * *

**(a/n: what do you think? Sorry if i suck at the whole romance part. Mr. Gold is from Once Upon a time. Stick around, the epilog is coming up very soon. Also, for those who want an idea of what the song Genevieve was singing sounds like, look up the track "Noble Maiden Fair (A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal)" from the Brave movie soundtrack. Listen to it and read along, or not. Whatever. Also, the part with Pitch's daughter, she is in the books but i just made up my own version of what happened to her. Please review!)**


	17. Epilog

**(a/n: here we are, the end. please enjoy and review! I'll be moving this from the How To Train your dragon section to Rise of the Guardians)**

* * *

Epilog

It had been several months since Merida broke the magic contract.

When she returned home, Merida's father, mother and pretty much everyone else were extremely relieved to see her again.

Merida's parent's expressed their concern. They were worried when she didn't return they searched for hours but as night came, found no trace of her.

When Queen Elinor saw the wound on Merida's back, she began bombarding her daughter with questions about it.

Merida couldn't tell her parents the whole truth about Rumpelstiltskin, the deal and Mor'du. They would think that she was mad and have her locked up, or worse.

So Merida told them part of the truth. She explained that after she ran away, Angus galloped away and left her stranded in the middle of nowhere. She then told them that she wandered around aimlessly, trying to get home. However, she fell down a step hill and got scratched up badly on some jagged rocks.

Merida finished her tale by telling them that a penniless traveler found her, treated her wounds and helped her back to the castle.

To her relief, Merida's parents and the lords all believed her story.

* * *

As Merida's father and the lords celebrated Merida's return, Queen Elinor escorted Merida back to her room.

Seeing her room again made Merida feel almost nostalgic. The last time she was in her room was when she first met Duncan the elf and the old witch, the tow had claimed the castle as their own.

The thought of the elf and the witch made Merida wonder what they were doing at that moment and what their lives were like before the contract. Would they remember her or will they just forget like the others?

Queen Elinor helped Merida into bed and she then apologized for what happened earlier that day. She apologized for smacking Merida and tossing her bow into the fire. Merida forgave her mother and apologized as well for fighting with her mother.

The two began to talk. Minutes turned into hours and the two slowly reconnected.

Eventually, when the subject of the arranged marriage came up, Queen Elinor smiled and told Merida "I'm sure we can think of a better alternative".

Merida couldn't help but grin and silently thanked Mr. Gold. The odd traveler was right and she hoped that he would find his son someday.

* * *

The next morning at the games, Queen Elinor announced that Merida had something to say. Merida stood in front of the clans, the lords and pretty much everyone from the surrounding villages and told them that the children should get married at their own time and to the person of their choosing.

Surprisingly, the clans liked the idea and agreed.

Merida scanned the crowd and she could've sworn she saw a familiar shape but before she was able to get a good look, the shape disappeared into the woods.

However, she was able to catch a glimpse of some blond hair, pointed ears and an emerald green cloak.

* * *

Days passed and the clans slowly departed the castle.

Merida would go out and practice with her bow but not without someone escorting her.

Her parents were just being cautious but Merida thought it ridiculous that she had to have someone with her at all times.

* * *

One evening, Merida's parents told her that she had to get her brothers to go to sleep.

Merida decided to tell them a story.

She told them a story about witches, elves, far off lands, talking animals, a scheming tyrant, a clumsy young man who tamed fierce dragons, a lonely spirit who sacrificed everything for a friend, two siblings who fought wicked witches, a girl with magical hair, a mad man who brought back the dead, a king of nightmares, a young girl, ogres, and an epic battle for freedom.

Merida's brothers loved the story.

She only told them only part of the story and it got them hooked. She promised to finish the story the next evening if they went to bed. They obeyed and quickly, they fell asleep.

Merida blew out the candles and she moved to leave the room but she stopped.

She saw three ribbons of gold light and sand slither into the room and stop above each of her brothers' heads. The gold sand slowly formed small shapes that danced around above each of her sibling's heads.

Merida was instantly reminded of Pitch Black. She was afraid that the nightmare king had come for revenge but Merida thought it odd. Pitch used black sand, not gold and they gold sand didn't seem to do anything to her brothers.

She went to the window and to her surprise; she saw a small figure sitting on a floating island made of golden sand. He was wrapped up in gold robes, had wild yellow hair and pale skin. The man made some motions and more ribbons of gold sand and light shot out of his hand, stretching out far and wide.

Sitting on the edge of the island of sand dangling his feet over the edge, was Nightlight.

Merida was happy to see the Guardian alive again. He had attempted to rescue her from Pitch and he was almost successful but Pitch killed him when the guardian was defenseless.

The boy glowed a pale white like the moon, cradling his spear in his arms and looked bored. Nightlight looked down and his eyes met Merida's.

Almost instantly, he brightened up.

He grinned and he hopped off of the sand island then gently floated down to the window. The Guardian was still dressed in his white cloak with the moon symbol on his chest.

Nightlight bowed his head. He made some signs but Merida couldn't understand them. Nightlight realized it and he stopped, grinning sheepishly.

The man in gold looked down and he waved Nightlight up.

The Guardian turned to Merida, waving goodbye then he shot up into the sky and landed on the sand island.

The sand island floated away and vanished from her sight.

Merida stood there with her heart thumping away in her chest. For a moment there, she could've sworn that Nightlight recognized her.

* * *

Two months after the encounter with Nightlight and his friend, Merida's thoughts were still focused on that night.

Did the Guardian recognize her? If so, then could that mean Jack could remember her also? Better yet, could her friends remember her and would there be a way to help them remember?

On that month, a rainstorm struck. The wind howled and the rain came in a torrential downpour.

While Merida and her family where having dinner, a guard entered and told King Fergus that there were people at the gates.

So, the king and the guard went out into the pouring rain to see these unexpected visitors.

Several minutes later, Merida's father returned and was accompanied by a group of people.

Merida saw that they all wore black traveling cloaks with hoods. All were soaked to the bone.

The first hood came off and Merida's heart almost jumped out of her chest.

It was Victor Frankenstein.

The doctor's jet-black hair was dripping rainwater all over his face and onto a pair of wire framed glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose. The doctor glanced around and remarked "What a beautiful castle"

"Yeah, pretty" grumbled a familiar voice.

The second hood came off. It was the Huntsman. He still had silver hair, yellow eyes and was equal in height to the king.

Two more hoods came off. It was Hansel and Gretel.

Soon, the other hoods came off. Merida saw the Pied Piper, the old witch who helped her when she made the deal and surprisingly, Duncan the elf.

Except, the elf's ears were not pointed, they were rounded. He was probably in disguise.

Queen Elinor frowned "Fergus, who are these people?"

"Allow Me," piped up Victor. He cleared his throat and explained, "We are the royal envoy of her imperial majesty, Queen Genevieve"

Merida saw the last figure throw off their hood and she saw the witch queen Genevieve. Except, the witch had a pair of sparkling blue eyes that almost resembled the sky on a clear day as apposed to the milky white replicas.

Victor continued "We were making our way southward, back to our kingdom but the storm has forced us to seek shelter. Which is why we are here. We humbly beseech thee to allow us to take shelter here for the night".

Merida watched her parents quietly debate between them and after a few minutes they nodded, agreeing to allow them to stay.

* * *

As King Fergus and Queen Elinor showed the visitors to their rooms, Merida found Genevieve sitting by the fire in the dining hall with Harris, Hubert and Hamish sitting on the floor in front of her.

The witch queen was telling the boys a story and she had visuals by using her magic to manipulate the flickering shadows on the wall.

She concluded her tale saying in an eerie tone "…and then he was cast out into the cold cruel world and was never seen again".

The three young boys stared up at the witch in awe. She smiled warmly and told them "Now…off to bed with you"

Surprisingly, they ran off. Genevieve glanced over to Merida and said, "Such nice young lads, aren't they Merida?"

Merida blinked "How do you know my name?"

"Because you told it to me, remember?" said the witch.

Her heart stopped for a moment "You remember?"

Genevieve nodded "Yes, I remember. I told you that our paths shall cross again".

Merida questioned "How?"

"Queen of the Witches, remember?" said Genevieve "I'm powerful enough to retain my memories during magical deals such as yours. You have no idea how many world altering deals are made in one day, it's mind numbing".

Merida suddenly felt a bit of hope. Since the witch could remember, it may be possible that Nightlight did as well.

She asked, "Can you use your magic to restore memories?"

Genevieve nodded "Yes. I know what you're going to ask and the answer is no".

Merida blinked "What? Why not?"

"Because it was the price you paid for breaking the deal" said the witch "In exchange for returning your life back to the way it was, you had to sacrifice something precious to you. That thing was Jack"

"Isn't there a spell or-" began Merida but the witch cut her off with a firm "no".

Genevieve's lips tightened and she stood. She placed a hand on Merida's shoulder saying softly "I'm sorry but that's the way it works. It's the law of magic, you give something to gain something"

"It's unfair" mumbled Merida.

The witch smiled and said dryly "Who said life was fair?"

Merida mumbled something and asked the witch if it was possible for Nightlight to have remembered. Genevieve nodded and explained that Nightlight was among a small few who are powerful enough to retain their memories through ordeals like that. Pitch, the Man in the Moon and a woman named Regina was just to name a few.

The witch sighed deeply saying "I'm sorry, I'm truly am. But there is nothing that can be done. Even I can't change the power of magic contract"

Merida felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach. But Genevieve said "But, there is some good that came out of breaking that contract"

"Really?" mumbled Merida.

The witch nodded. She explained to Merida that she, Victor and the others had been going around to various kingdoms and nations for various diplomatic missions. One of the kingdom's they visited was Corona, the kingdom Rumpelstiltskin took over. The witch told Merida that the king and queen had finally found their daughter, Rapunzel, again and she had gotten married to a former thief named Flynn Rider or Eugene Fitzherbert.

Merida smiled a little feeling happy for both Rapunzel and Eugene.

Genevieve then said she visited the island of Berk where she met with Stoick and the Vikings for trade relations. She said that Hiccup was doing very well for himself and that all of his friends, the ones who Rumpelstilskin had kidnapped, were returned.

That made Merida happy. Her friends were doing well for themselves and their lives were back to normal. Although, her father would probably die of shock if he found out that she was friends with a Viking.

The witch grinned, "See, something good came out of it after all. Thousands of lives were restored, people's lives returned to proper order"

"all but mine" mumbled Merida bitterly.

Genevieve nodded a little and said, "I have warned you. You will regret breaking the contract for the rest of your life and here we are" Merida sighed and she looked down at her feet. The witch couldn't bear to see Merida to be sorrowful for the rest of her life.

So, Genevieve said cryptically "Wait for winter and keep a sharp eye out, follow the wisps".

Merida didn't know what to make of the witch's advice and she wanted to ask but Genevieve turned and left.

* * *

The next morning, the witch and her companions departed Castle DunBroch at the break of dawn.

Merida watched them marching away from the castle and towards the forest.

When they were at the edge of the forest, she saw Genevieve turn and wave goodbye then left.

* * *

Months passed and life continued on as normal. Summer changed to autumn then to winter.

Merida trudged through the freshly fallen snow, trying to get back home. Following closely behind was her father.

The two had been out hunting. Queen Elinor was against it but King Fergus convinced her to allow Merida to go. They hunted for since dawn and had found nothing. So, King Fergus decided that they should head back to the castle to warm up and try again tomorrow.

As they trudged through the cold snow, Merida heard some distant laughter.

Merida paused for a moment and listened. All was still around her. She heard a number of voices in the distance and she suddenly heard some more laughter.

Merida glanced around at the snow-covered forest and saw a blue orb of light flickering in the distance. It was a wisp.

Merida suddenly recalled Genevieve's advice. She took off running towards the wisp. When she got close to the wisp, the wisp vanished and another orb of flickering blue light appeared a short distance away.

Merida followed the wisps until she reached some bushes. On the other side of the bushes, Merida heard laughter and voices chattering away.

She crept over to the bushes and she peeked over. Merida let out a small gasp.

Ahead of her was a large frozen pond. Skating around the iced over pond was Jack Frost. Standing at the edge of the frozen pond was a group of odd figures. One was a bird, fairy like young woman. Her body was covered in bright colored feathers and her face that of a young woman with violet eyes. Large wings fluttered quickly, holding her aloft.

Next to her was a large man in a heavy red coat. He had a long white beard, rosy cheeks, blue eyes and a brown fur cap on his head.

Beside the man was the short man in gold robes from the night Merida saw Nightlight.

Standing behind him was a tall blue and white bunny. The bunny stood on two feet and carried strange wooden objects on his back.

Lastly, there was Nightlight.

The group stood there watching Jack skate gracefully around the frozen pond. He slid to a stop in front of them and waved "Come on guys, you got to try this"

"N-no thanks mate" said the bunny in an accent that Merida was unfamiliar with.

Jack rolled his eyes "Come on Bunny, its our first day off in two hundred and six years, you got to try ice skating".

The bunny shook his head "No thanks, I'm comfortable right here".

The winter spirit sighed and looked to the man in red "North?"

The man scratched the back of his head saying in an accent "Uh, no thanks. Does not look safe for me"

Jack sighed again and looked to the man in gold. The man in gold nodded and Jack smiled "Thank you Sandman".

He glanced to Nightlight and the guardian nodded as well. Jack chuckled "Now we're talking". He glanced over to the young woman "Tooth?"

"Sure" said the young woman "Why not".

Sandman and Nightlight glided out to the pond. At first they had some difficulties staying on their feet but soon they got the hang of it.

Jack hovered above them, watching and assisting them on occasion. Merida kept her eyes on Jack. She was overjoyed over the fact that he was alive again. She wanted nothing more to rush out there and embrace him.

However, Merida remembered the price of breaking the contract. Jack wouldn't remember her. No matter what she would do, the winter spirit would see her as a stranger or some mad woman.

The only thing she could do was stand there and watch. Jack glided over to Tooth and extended a hand "You want to join in?"

"I'd love to" said Tooth. She took his hand and the two floated across the large pond. The two carefully landed in the far end of the pond, away from Sandman and Nightlight.

Jack carefully explained to Tooth on how to skate. She followed his instructions and almost slipped but Jack caught her.

Tooth blushed a little in embarrassment mumbling, "Sorry, I'm not very good at this"

"You're doing great" assured Jack "You just got to keep practicing".

Tooth nodded and she got back to her feet. After a few tries and fails, Tooth finally got the hang of skating. Sandman and Nightlight clapped a little then continued skating around. Jack joined in the skating. The four Guardians skated around for a few minutes.

Eventually, Nightlight and Sandman left the ice and stood on the shore with North and Bunny.

Tooth slipped and fell, she then slid on the ice until she crashed into a snow bank.

Jack quickly skated over and he helped Tooth out of the snow bank asking in concern "Are you ok?"

"Yeah" said Tooth, brushing snow out of her feathers.

North spoke "Ok, now you finish. Lets go, Yeti's make hot chocolate and cookies back at workshop"

"Alright!" said Bunny excitedly.

North led Bunny, Sandman and Nightlight away from the pond. Jack looped his arm around Tooth's. He grinned saying something that Merida didn't hear. Tooth smiled, her face turning pink and she replied. The two walked away from the pond, arm in arm and laughing.

Merida felt like someone had ripped her heart out of her chest and stomped it to mush.

Jack seemed to be happy without her. Her eyes started to water.

Genevieve was right; Merida was starting to regret ever breaking that contract.

Merida heard her father calling for her. She turned and ran.

She ran and ran until she bumped into her father. King Fergus looked down at Merida in concern "Merida? What's wrong?"

She wanted to just spill her guts to her father, tell him everything that had happened but Merida took a deep breath and lied "Nothing. I'm fine".

* * *

With Jack and Tooth. The two Guardians stopped when they heard a man shout a name in the distance.

Tooth frowned "Sounds like someone is lost" "That name…" said Jack softly. Something about it was familiar. It tugged away at something at the back of his mind. The two Guardians waited for a moment and there was silence.

Tooth asked Jack "Should we help?"

Jack was about to say yes but instead, he blurted "No. I'm sure they'll be fine".

The two resumed walking until they caught up with their fellow Guardians who waited by the swirling vortex of ice and snow.

The guardians leapt into the vortex that lead to North's workshop then the vortex disappeared.

* * *

In the small village of Caldron Falls, Rumpelstiltskin sighed and downed his pint of ale.

The small village sat in the middle of a vast forest of beautiful pine trees.

The dwarf was traveling to a festival that was taking place in a nearby kingdom but the roads were all iced over by a blizzard, stranding him there in Caldron Falls. Rumpelstiltskin got a room in the Candle Light Inn.

He was currently in the Crystal Tavern, drowning his troubles in ale and whisky.

The dwarf snapped his fingers and ordered another round from the barmaid. He wanted nothing more than to drink away the memory of loosing his kingdom to that horrid girl, Merida.

The door to the tavern opened, letting in a blast of icy wind that pushed through the warm tavern.

The door closed and there was some footsteps.

Rumpelstiltskin frowned. The tavern had gotten a lot quieter. Even though there were only a few patrons, there was some noise. Some soft chatter, some soft music from a musician in the corner of the room and some slurred ranting from the drunk at the far end of the bar. But all the sounds seemed to fade.

The dwarf looked up and saw the barmaid looking pale as a ghost.

A man sat down beside the dwarf and told the barmaid in oily voice "Fetch me your finest drink, would you dearie?"

The woman nodded and she retrieved the finest bottle of wine. She handed the bottle to the man and scurried away.

Rumpelstiltskin heard the man uncork the bottle and pour himself a glass.

In the corner of his eye, the dwarf saw the man. His heart stopped for almost a minute. The man had wiry hair, skin that almost looked gold, two golden eyes that gleamed in the lamp light. He wore a heavy coat that kept him warm in the blistering cold.

The man sipped the wine and let out a satisfied sigh "Ah, that's good".

He glanced over to the dwarf "How are you, _Rumpelstiltskin_?" when he said the name, he almost spat at the dwarf angrily.

The dwarf stammered nervously "F-fine, how are you?"

"Good" said the man as his tone grew icy "I was at home, reading a good book until I heard from our mutual acquaintance that you were abusing the power of the contracts I gave you and were going around using _my name_!" his voice rose to a shout.

The patrons in the tavern jumped and they all scurried out the door.

The dwarf whimpered and the man glared daggers at him snarling, "You dare tarnish my name?"

"N-no, Rumpelstiltskin" stuttered the dwarf.

The real Rumpelstiltskin tilted his head and asked "Then why, Edmund, did you take my name?" the dwarf didn't answer.

The man shook his head in disappointment "You are pitiful my friend. You are gifted in the art of the deal but you use your talents to con poor folk and innocent young girls. Such a waste".

Edmund was about to argue about Merida being innocent but Rumpelstiltskin cut him off with a cold glare that could kill easily kill a man.

The man set his glass down and said "That magic bean you gave me…it took my son from me"

Edmund swallowed hard. There was one thing in the world that you don't mess with and that was Rumpelstiltskin's son. Rumpelstiltskin's hand clenched until his knuckles turned white "And luckily, since your knowledge of the magical arts is rivaled by so few, I need you alive"

Edmund let out a small sigh of relief.

But Rumpelstiltskin continued, "However, I don't exactly need your tongue" he flicked his wrist and suddenly the dwarf's tongue appeared in the man's hand.

The dwarf tried to speak but all that came out was a loud gurgling sound.

Rumpelstiltskin let out a high-pitched giggle and said, "Now then dearie, will you be so kind as to help me retrieve my son?"

Edmund the dwarf nodded quickly and held out his hands pleadingly for his tongue.

Rumpel shook his head and tossed the dwarf's tongue to the floor then stamped on it with the heel of his black leather boot.

Edmund let out a small pained cry and Rumpel giggled then said coldly "No more lies for you, eh silver tongue?"

The End.

* * *

**(a/n: Well, there we are. How'd you like it? Please tell me. Also, to avoid confusion, the real Rumpelstiltskin is the one from "Once Upon A Time" I know, lame plot twist but whatever. I might make a sequel but it will be in the future. **

**I'm going on hiatus soon. I've been doing this for almost three years and i need a break. However, i will be coming up with an idea for a sequel, if you want. The reason for the hiatus is personal and i have things to take care of. If i was going to do a sequel, it won't be online until Summer 2015. **

**I know its a long time away but that's the only time i am sure that i will be back. Also, it will give me time to see the sequel to How to train your dragon and i will have enough time to come up with a good idea for a sequel. Anyway, please review and all that. If you want a sequel, review. See ya!) **


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